Broken Reflection
by Zelda Aurion
Summary: It's been 17 years since Anna returned and the world was saved by Lloyd and company...yet the happy life they had went up in flames. But the time to mourn is now over. It's up to our old heroes and the next generation to defeat Symphonia's greatest foe yet. Sequel to Mirror Image
1. Purge of Blood

The red orange flames shot towards the inky black sky. The brilliant stars that were usually scattered in the thick blanket of night above were veiled by choking swirls of smoke. The sea breeze whipped through the fires, sending them higher as the salty tang of ocean faded into the burning smell of charred wood and decaying flesh and rusty blood. Screams bled through the air as silhouettes streamed through the streets and children and adults alike cried for their mothers.

_Mother_

_Mama_

_Mom_

_Mommy!_

Armor glinted in the chaos and clangs overpowered the fires roar. Soldier and civilian alike fell dead in the streets as people leaped over their bodies, or sobbed brokenly on torn chests. Flashes of colors were visible above as they hovered in the air, searching for the cause…the culprit…the man.

But it was just a blur to her-a blur of color and death and destruction. She didn't see the dying fighters or the screaming people. Her eyes were riveted on the building in front of her as fire crept up the side of the timber. It hadn't even been painted yet and now it was becoming a charred ruin.

_Everywhere…It's everywhere. The flames. They burn…they burn forevermore._

"Move!" shouted a young teen, racing out of the building before her, closely followed by a girl of the same age. Ash covered their faces and their exposed skin was dotted with burns. The fire roared in triumph as the second story collapsed. Wood groaned as the building sagged sideways. Arms clutched at her legs and wrists, trying to restrain her.

_NO!_ The word, so desperate in her mind tore achingly from her throat as she threw off her captors and raced for the building. _They're still in there!_

An echoing crack stopped her in her tracks as a flaming piece of wood broke from its backing and plunged toward her. She screamed and threw her hands up, as though hoping to block the beam.

Something streaked from the inferno and caught her around the chest. She flew through the air and crashed to the ground, or rather, crashed into her savior's chest as he crashed to the ground.

His red-brown eyes snapped open as the two year old in his arms wailed. Her brown eyes met his as she lifted the girl from his arms and shushed her tears. Behind them, the school/daycare collapsed, but it did not matter. Before them, soldiers were fleeing and around them, people were gathering.

She closed her eyes, feeling the auras. _Angels…Humans…Half-elves…heroes…all too weak to stop this._

A young woman, heavy with child, stepped forward as the ocean wind parted the billowing smoke, revealing a shadowed figure, spiky hair billowing in the breeze.

"Lloyd!"

The child sprang from her mother's arms and rushed towards Lloyd. Lloyd half-turned his head towards her shout, as though wary of who might be calling him. He caught sight of her and turned his body, scooping her up into his arms and holding her tightly.

Then, the girl shrieked.

"Uncle Regal!"

Two bodies, one on top of the other, lay on the ground. A boy collapsed to his knees and pushed the body on top away before collapsing on the other man's chest, "Father…"

Lloyd covered the girl's eyes and stepped away from the broken body of his comrade and the fallen body of his foe…but not before wrenching a sword from his heart his friend and jamming it back into a sheath.

"Lloyd! What's wrong with Uncle Regal?"

No one else moved, their eyes riveted on the body of Regal Bryant. _He's…dead…at Lloyd's hand. But how…why…what has happened?_

"Listen to me, Mitsukai Martel Aurion," Lloyd said softly. "I must leave."

"No!" Mitsukai cried. "No, big brother! Don't go."

"I love you Suki," Lloyd said. "I need you to take care of Colette's baby when it comes, ok?"

"But why?" Suki asked.

"Because it may be a long time before I come back," Lloyd said, his throat tightening.

"More than ten minutes?" Suki asked.

"A lot more," Lloyd said, a smile lightening his blood-splattered face.

"I wish it was not more," Suki said, sighing as she had seen grown-ups do. Lloyd chuckled, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"You know what I wish, Suki?" Suki shook her head. "If I had one wish…I'd wish you wouldn't be like me…" Suki looked confused. Lloyd ruffled her hair. "Promise me you'll protect Colette's baby?"

"I promise!" Suki sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "Promise you'll come back?"

"Someday Suks…someday." Lloyd put his sister down and kissed her forehead. He lifted his face to his comrades and family, looking directly at all of them before resting his eyes on Colette.

"They won't hunt you any more," he said. "Not so long as I am gone."

"No!" Colette screamed stepping forward.

Lloyd drew his sword and pointed it at her, his eyes mad. "Stay back. All of you! I'll…I'll do it. I swear to God!"

"Lloyd!" Genis and shouted.

"What are you doing? What are you saying?" Sheena demanded, pushing her nearly two-year old twin son's behind her and Zelos.

"Something's wrong," muttered Yuan. "His mana signature is warped. Like…Mithos's."

"But how?" Presea asked. "Is it because…"

"Regal…" Raine gasped, tears running down her face as she clutched her two-year-old daughter tight. "He's…he's killed Regal. Regal and Castagnier and the Vanguard."

"No," Zelos muttered. "No! Lloyd! What the Hell is going on!"

"Don't you follow me," he hissed. "Goodbye!"

A great set of wings unfurled from his back. Where once they were blue and green…now streaks of red and black mixed in with the colors, matching his new aura.

"No!" Colette howled as he rose in the air. "Lloyd!"

"Stop him!" Yuan shouted shoving the man in front of him. "Do it now, Kratos, before he's gone because I swear to you, you will not get him back!"

Kratos looked at the woman by his side, her pale, heart-shaped face dead and lifeless in the flickering glow. "Anna…"

Without warning, wings exploded from Anna's back. The black feathers, border in blue, glittered, surrounding the swirls of red, pink, blue, orange, yellow, indigo, purple, and green as she took the sky racing for her son.

The air around Lloyd shimmered as his brown eyes met their match. "Gomen…"

Anna's hand clenched around empty air. "Lloyd! Lloyd! NO!"

She furled her wings and dropped, Kratos catching her just before she hit the ground.

"Burning…" Anna moaned. "Burning…Burned…Going…Gone…"

* * *

This was so intense to write, I didn't want to start your reading of it with an author's note.

Gomen is Japanese for Sorry.

So, as you can see, I decided to do a sequel to Mirror Image after all. It'll be a long while before it's updated. I want to see how this is received. But if y'all like it, then I'll be rolling with it. It'd be a good idea to read the prequel. Only if you want to know what the heck is going on though.

So basically, what's going on here is the Purge of Blood from Tales of Symphonia 2: Knight of Ratatosk/Dawn of the New World. Which, by the way, is scheduled to be released in Japan on April 24th, 2008, and North America in Fall 2008. –does a happy dance-

But anyway, don't worry: I'm not writing my own version of/following the game sequel. I'm doing my own thing.

REVIEW!


	2. Restless Warriors

Wow...I gotta tell you, it feels GREAT! Coming back to this. The reviews, the updates, the self-loathing, the hatred of internet connections, the excuses for late updates. YUP! Good to back!

But best of all are the reviewers, old and new! My old ones filled me with joyful nostalgia and the ones filled me with desire to keep going! So thank you to:

eragonfanatic92: Always the first to review! I love it! Oh, and see the end note to answer your question.

Maurice A. Nigma: Your support means a tremendous amount to me. I only hope  
I don't let you down. Whatever reviews you contribute, I look forward to your constructive criticism and compliments. Enjoy!

emi the cookie monster: IT'S EMI! NUMERO UNO! YAY! Yes, Lloyd doing bad things was quite disheartening, but I think it's the Kratos in him. We'll just have to wait and see. And what you should do is wait til you are older, buy it, and just tell your mom and brother that you are your own person! But that's just my opinion. I hope you enjoy this!

Jenova Remnant AKA Fishie: I didn't do it to Lloyd! It was namco! I just made it worse, lol. Never fear never fear! Have I steered you wrong yet? ... Don't answer that...

Jeanne and Her Alters: At ease soldier! Haha. I did a little dance when you and the chibis and soul consuming muffins appeared again. Life is now better, lol. I can never leave Lloyd either, but since the plot is my own, I just have to mess with EVERYTHING I can. Yay!

mandrakefunnyjuice: I'm sorry I made you wait...and use foul language. Seriously though, IT KILLED ME TO KILL REGAL! I have major love for him and his delicious quotes! And as to Mithos's essence...well...you may be right. But then again you may be wrong. (Cookie if you tell me which character from TOS said that.)

KGS: My favorite three-letter reviewer! I'mglad you like it. I hope you like this too!

Child-of-Darkness-and-Light: Aw! Don't cry! -hands tissue- This chapter will cheer you up. I promise! Enjoy!

Hdshbags: I'm a huge Regal fan too. I love him to death. But sadly no. I assure you he is really dead at Lloyd's hand. But you will see more as to why later and I hope you will agree with my reasonings. Enjoy!

Key of Ra: Yes, I know it was a bit confusing. If it still is after this chapter, I will post a guide on mt profile. And Regal is dead at Lloy's hand, stabbed through with Lloyd's sword. That's all that is known at this point. But, I am glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this too!

DarkSabor: I'm glad you liked this and Mirror Image! And while this is tecnically not a TOS2 fanfic, more like my own plot, it will incorporate it. I figure if I start now, the idea won't be stolen by weirdos later who write about TOS 2, lol. Enjoy.

Eleven reviews! -happy squeal- Keep the coming, I beg of you.

And because this is a continuation of Mirror Image, I will provide a quote from Mirror Image at the beginning of each chapter, because I'm a dork and because I can. Yay!

Disclaimer: I own all of the OC's. Back off!

Quote: "Anna?" she said. "Ada. Adalais." She hesitated, looking unsure then said, "Kratos, Anna is... dead" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Kratos blinked and felt for her mana signature. It was almost indentical to Anna's, but there was something off, as if the signature had multiplied. It wasn't Anna, no matter how much this girl looked like her.

* * *

Anna's eyes snapped open and she sat up straight in bed, panting as the sweat clung to her skin. She gasped for breath as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, sniffling and clutching her head.

_Fifteen years…it's been fifteen years and still that dream is just as real as ever!_ She thought to herself. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked out the window to her left, where the small graveyard sat, four tombstones glittering in the moonlight. Looking to her right, she found an empty spot where her husband should have been.

Anna swung her legs out of bed and left the room, heading down the hall for her daughter's room. It was a common routine. After being frightened awake, Anna had to check on Mitsukai, else she would not return to sleep. She didn't know why, but every year, on that bloody anniversary, she was suddenly gripped with the powerful fear that her daughter was in danger, that some great peril would steal her child away and her heart would die completely. Pausing on the landing outside of the topmost room, Anna took a deep breath before she cracked the door and peered inside.

The great green and white protozoan Noishe was curled up at the foot of an empty, but recently slept in bed. Anna opened the door wider and stepped insider, fear closing like a vice around her heart.

"I'm out here mom," called a teenage girl's voice. "Don't freak out."

Anna sighed and crossed the room, heading through the windowed doors out onto the terrace, where he daughter stood. Still, Anna said nothing as she went to her child and looked out over the forest.

Mitsukai Martel Aurion, known to most as Suki, did not turn to look at her mother. Her heart shaped face and red-brown eyes stayed fixed on the view, her very long auburn hair stirring slightly in the breeze. Her white nightgown showed of the curves expected of every seventeen year-old, but it hid the muscle. In fact all of Mitsukai's clothes were loose to hide the muscles she had, but not because she was self-conscious, but because she had earned them fighting. And Mitsukai Aurion was not allowed to fight.

"The dream?" Anna finally asked.

"Yes," Suki sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Anna patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Tomorrow will be fifteen years since he left…" Anna throat tightened.

"Don't, mom."

Anna closed her eyes at her daughter's refusal to believe what was so plain to everyone else. Still…it was a vain hope that they all shared.

"Are you feeling well, sweetie?" Anna asked. "You've been up late at night a lot lately."

"I'm fine," Suki said.

"Mitsukai…"

Suki turned around and looked at her mother. "I know you and Dad are freaked that I'm suddenly going to turn into an angel, but I'm not. I don't have Angel Toxicosis, I have insomnia, all right?"

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, missy."

"You know the situation," said a new voice, a deep male voice. "We must be careful."

"I know, father," Suki said turning around and standing up straight as Kratos Aurion pierced his youngest child through with his cold gaze. Suki stared as coldly back, her yes identical to her dad's. Kratos held her gaze for a very long moment.

Suki blinked. "Damn it! Why do you always win?"

Anna chuckled as Kratos ruffled Suki's hair. "We're just being careful, Mitsukai." Kratos motioned for her and Anna to go back inside. "There may be complications."

"I know," Mitsukai said heavily, crawling back into bed.

Anna kissed Suki's forehead. "Try to get some sleep, angel. We love you."

"Yeah," Suki said, rolling over and snuggling into her pillow. "I love you too," she yawned, closing her eyes.

Kratos and Anna left the room returning to their own and closing the door. "Do you think she's telling the truth?" Anna asked.

"I would not expect Mitsukai to lie," Kratos replied. "Not when she knows…"

"When she saw…" Anna added.

"But I suspect she is lying after all," Kratos said, stroking Anna's cheek. "Did you check her mana signature?"

"Yes," Anna said. "It's chnaging. It's very similar to...his actually."

"We thought that as long as we keep her from the sword, we'd keep her from his fate," Kratos muttered. "We may have been wrong."

Anna lay back on the bed, pulling Kratos on top of her and stroking his temples. "I hope we weren't, my love."

Kratos kissed her. "We've had similar reports concerning the rest of the children." He sighed before turning his attention solely on his wife. "We will meet tomorrow and discuss it."

Back in her room, Mitsukai stared up at the ceiling. Noishe whined and licked her hand as Suki stroked his fur. _Another sleepless night._ Suki lifted her wrist to her face and stared at the shining orb flickering there. _It's getting clearer…brighter. I wonder how Don and Vikki and the others are…"_

* * *

Tick…Tick…

Thump!

Cough.

Tick…Tick…

Thump!

Cough!

Tick…Tick…

THUMP!

"Don!" hissed Victoria Adalais Irving-Aurion, looking up from her book. "Stop tossing and turning so loudly!"

Donovan Lloyd Irving-Aurion sat up from his rumpled bed sheets and glared at his twin sister. "Shut it Vikki!" he whispered grumpily. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Well you know as well as I that we aren't going to get to sleep!" Vikki whispered back hotly.

"Dwarven Vow #16 You can do anything if you try!" Don muttered. He lay back down in a huff and rolled over. Unfortunately for Don, there was no bed where he rolled so he crashed to the floor, knocking his nightstand over as well.

"Haha-AUGH!" Vikki leaned over the edge of her own bed, pointing and laughing at her brother…that is, until her supporting arm fell and she crashed face first into the floor, her legs still held up by the bed.

The door swung open, revealing Colette Brunel, rubbing sleep from her very suspicious eyes, which rested on the two guilty looking fifteen-year-olds. "What is going on here?"

"Don had a nightmare and fell out of bed again," Vikki said at once, her blue eyes widening innocently as she righted herself on the mattress and shook her brown hair out of her face.

"Vikki leaned over to see if I was ok," Don added, flopping back on his bed and running his hand through his messy brown hair, his blue eyes mimicking Vikki's innocent expression. "Then she fell out of bed too."

Colette raised an eyebrow.

"It's true!" said her children at once.

Colette sighed. "I'm not buying it, but as it is three a.m., I won't discuss it now. Go back to sleep," she turned and walked out of the room closing the door behind her. There, she waited.

"It's getting clearer."

"I know, Vikki. But we can't tell them. They will freak out! Especially grandma. We have to see this through. Maybe when they realize it...they'll let us fight."

"Yeah right."

Colette sighed and slipped away from the door, back into her empty room. The vestiges of her dream, more a memory than dream, were fading from her now conscious mind, as was the fear that her children were in danger. After raising them alone for fifteen years, it was natural that Colette be overprotective. But it was always more than that. It was the same fear that gripped Anna, once every year on the bloody anniversary. Colette looked out of her window and sighed, stroking the picture frame beside her bed where he husband grinned out at her.

* * *

The streets of Mizuho were as silent as the grave. Not a creature stirred, not a breath of wind rustled the trees. The moonlit paths were quiet under the starry sky.

Suddenly, a large puff of smoke appeared in the center of the town square, revealing three figures as it cleared. The two tall, indigo haired boys looked around as the third, smaller red-head withdrew a slim dagger from his sleeve. One of the older boys, with long, slightly curly purple hair slipped down a side path into a small grave of trees and motioned the other two to follow.

A seventeen year old girl with long blue hair and emerald green eyes stepped out of the shadows of the trees as the boys approached. A rustling overhead forewarned the appearance of a fifth figure. The boy straightened, leaves tangled in his blue and silver messy hair, and waved at the approaching group.

Akira Virginia Ka-Fei rolled her eyes and shook back her sleeve as the three boys approached. "It's flickering," she said. "Less than desirable."

"Mine too," added her fourteen-year-old brother, Hoshiko Botta Sage. "It actually feels like there is something below the surface."

"Ours are farther along too," said Xander Regal Wilder, brushing his long purple hair out of his face. "What the heck does this mean?"

"Obviously, it means that we were born with Cruxis Crystals imbedded in our bodies," said Akira decidedly. "Similarly to Aunt Anna when she returned to Symphonia after her death. But that was because the Angelus Project had grown it with in her." Akira shook her head. "We are not asking 'why?' in this situation Not primarily."

"It's more of a 'how?' at the moment." said Jonathan Reid Wilder, examining the orb flickering under his skin. "By everything we've learned, this shouldn't be happening. It's a physical impossibility."

"Perhaps it is reacting to our bodies as we grow with age and our mana signatures develop," Hoshi said thoughtfully. "But mana signatures develop at about 13. We are all older, except Senshi."

"Senshi's is as far along as ours as well." Akira asked, pointing to the small red head.

Senshi Tsubasa Wilder shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's the mana coming from the Yggdrasill tree."

"Whatever it is," Jon said with a sigh, "It isn't good. Our parents will flip."

Akira looked around suddenly, her pointed ears twitching. "Damn. Someone's coming. We have to go." She glared at Jon. "And I don't care if they flip. Maybe we can do something for a damn change."

"Doubt it, Aki!" Xander yawned.

"Bite me, Wilder." Akira spat ducking through the trees.

"Such a lovely sweet tempered girl," Jon muttered.

"Such a sweet ass too!" Xander added.

Wham!

Senshi and Hoshiko ducked as a large log flew over their heads and collided with the seventeen-year-old twins' heads. They fell in a heap on the ground, moaning and twitching.

Hoshiko shook his head. "It must be insane living with them."

"You've no idea," Senshi muttered.

* * *

Raine Sage stood at the front of the classroom, surveying her students. Her son, Hoshiko was sitting at his desk in the front row, copying down the homework from the board. Next to him, his sister Akira stared out the window, already having done the homework in the time Raine gave the class to write it down. In the second row was Senshi Wilder, whispering something to Raine's nephew Bryant Kloitz Sage. Whatever it was, it caused the silver-haired eleven year-old to laugh quietly, earning the disapproving glare of his thirteen-year-old sister in front of him. Alicia Dara Sage shushed her brother before turning her attention back to the board, her hair glowing fuchsia in the sunlight. Behind them, Xander had his feet propped on the desk, his hands behind his head. Raine resisted the urge to throw erasers at the boy as he grinned and winked at Jon, gesturing towards one of the older schoolgirls who were clad in a tightly fitting skirt. Jon grinned back, but kept copying his homework. Vikki and Don next to them were taking turns trying to shoot rubber bands at the lone standing figure in the back of the room. Suki glared at her niece and nephew and shook the buckets she was holding threateningly.

Raine sighed and wondered for the millionth time why the entire group just _had_ to send all of their children to the school in Iselia. "All right class let's begin. Today we shall be discussing the journey of Reunification, having discussed the Regeneration last week. Who can tell me where we left off? Bryant?"

Bryant got to his feet. "Yes ma'am," he said his voice quiet, just like his mother, Presea's. "We had just discussed the appearance of the Fallen Hero Yggdrasill at the last seal in the Tower of Salvation."

"Very good," Raine said. "And what other significant event took place there. Yes, Alicia?"

"The betrayal of the Chosen by Kratos Aurion," said Alicia, also standing. "He was revealed to have angel wings."

"Though they weren't quite as girly as the rainbow appendages on Mithos the Femboy's back," Jon called out, making everyone laugh.

"Very good, Alicia," said Raine as the classroom quieted. "Mind your tongue. Jonathan. Now let's see…" her blue eyes panned the room, the eraser in hand, urging her onward.

Vikki nudged Don and pointed to Suki. Don snorted at seeing his Aunt 'asleep' holding the buckets. Before the recent plight, it was something Suki had inherited from her brother: they could sleep anywhere and to feign normalcy, Mitsukai pretended to go about this usual routine.

Don grinned as Raine's eyes seemed to expand, the blue fading to red as she began to breathe heavier. "Mitsukai. This next one is for you. Why is Mithos the Fallen hero?"

Suki didn't move, but continued to feign sleep.

"Three…" Don said, beginning to count.

"Mitsukai Aurion, wake up!"

"Two…"

"Mitsukai!"

"One!"

WHAM!

The eraser collided dead on with the girl's forehead. Losing her balance, she fell backward towards the wall, crashing into it and swearing. Mitsukai rubbed her forehead and looked up into the eyes of a very irate Professor Raine.

"Heheheh," she giggled nervously. "Hi Professor Raine. Is class over yet?"

Raine raised an eyebrow.

"Guess not," Mitsukai got to her feet brushing herself off. Sighing, she began to recite the answer to the question that Raine had asked of her. "The worlds were split by Mithos Yggdrasill, with aid from his companions Yuan, and Kratos."

"How does she do that?" whispered Xander to Jon. "She didn't even hear the question."

"I study, Wilder." Mitsukai said sarcastically. "The true question is, how do you survive being such an idiot?"

"Quiet!" Raine barked as she massaged her temples and tried to control her temper. "You may sit back down Mitsukai."

"Thank you Professor!" Suki chirped striding back to her seat and exchanging a high five with Don.

"Xander Wilder!" Raine barked. "Since you've so many questions you like to ask, perhaps you could broaden your horizons and answer one of mine! Why did the Giant Tree run amok and destroy the city of Palmacosta?"

Xander stood nervously. "Because…um…er…well…IT WAS BLUEY'S FAULT!"

"Hey shut up about my dad!" shouted Akira, jumping to her feet.

"Sit down, Akira!" Raine snapped.

"Yes mom…" Akira mumbled, still seething as she sat down slowly.

A hand rose slowly in the air.

"Yes, Bryant?" Raine said as he stood again.

"Yuan…leader of the renegades," he added, "miscalculated. The mana links protecting Martel also cage the great seed, preventing it from growing and reacting to the wacky system of the mana cycle. The seed over absorbed Sylvarant's mana and went out of control."

"See! Bluey's fault…" Xander muttered.

"Quiet!" Raine barked.

"For the love of Origin," muttered the room at large.

"That is correct," Raine said. "The Renegade leader had overlooked the dual purpose that the mana links provided. In order to set the situation to rights, what had to be done?"

"Mana from Tethe'alla's summon spirits had to be fired, through use of the mana cannon," called out Senshi.

"Hand please, Senshi!" Raine snapped.

"Yeah, ask me what the wonderful Yuan did to fix that?" Xander muttered.

"Xander…" said Vikki warningly. Akira had already turned around and was glaring daggers at Xander. "Be nice please. Yuan did great things to—"

"Wasting your breath, Vikki," Suki interrupted. "You know his dad has been a bad influence on him."

"I'll tell you what he did…" Xander continued, ignoring his friends.

"Pst! Hoshi!" whispered Alicia to her cousin. "Fifteen gald says Aunt Raine uses Prism Sword!"

"He sat in his office—"

"You sure about that, Alicia?" Hoshi asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'm certain that Mom will use Ray."

"And did what he does best—"

"Do we have an accord?"

"Which is what he always does—"

Hoshi looked at his fuming mother and equally enraged sister beside him as Xander stood, his chest puffed up, gesturing emphatically. Hoshi grinned. "You're on!"

"THE LAZY BUTTERFLY SAT ON HIS BUTT AND LEFT THE REAL WORK TO EVERYONE ELSE!" Xander shouted

"THAT'S IT!" Akira shrieked, launching herself out of her desk and diving at Xander. Xander yelped and blocked as she proceeded to beat him with her fists.

"Break it up!" Raine shouted, running forward and trying to tug her daughter off of Xander. Xander gave Akira a great shove and jumped to his feet, setting into a ninja pose.

"Bring it on, Aki!" he challenged beckoning her forward.

Suki sighed. "Ready, Jon?" she called.

"Ready!" Jon said, inching back from the fight beside him.

"THAT DOES IT!" Raine roared. "RAY!"

"Guardian!" Mitsukai shouted, casting a barrier around Xander and Akira, though it would do little to stop the attack.

"Guardian Seal!" shouted Jon shouted, guardians zipping through the air and attaching themselves firmly to the other students. He muttered a word and protective forcefields erupted from the papers around the rest of the class as light exploded through the roof.

When it cleared, Akira and Xander were on the ground unconscious.

Raine growled and looked up at the gaping hole in the roof above. "Class dismissed for the day. Those of the younger class will write a five-paragraph essay on the healing involved in curing Angelus Crystallus Inofficium. The older class will submit to me five pages on the events in the Tower of Salvation and how they effected the Journey of Reunification. Due on Monday."

* * *

It had been fifteen long years since the Purge of blood and much had changed.

Raine had married Yuan and returned to teaching in Iselia. Yuan's spy network with the Renegades partnered with Mizuho. In conjunction with both organizations, the rehumanized angels of Cruxis, and Zelos, he had worked to reform the Church of Martel and bring peace between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant.

Raine's journey with Genis had been postponed since she discovered three months after their first ever Christmas that she was three months pregnant. Zelos had hastened to point out that it wasn't just Anna and Kratos who were getting busy at that time. Of course, Sheena found out the next day that she, too, was pregnant. That shut Zelos up for a while. The two lived in Mizuho, where Sheena had taken her place as chief of Mizuho barely a month before the Purge of blood.

Genis had married Presea when he was seventeen and they had their oldest child a year later, two years after that fateful night. The two lived in Ozette, which they had rebuilt and it was a place of refuge for half-elves, though the world had become overall kinder to the race. This was because Presea had taken over the Lezareno Company, which Regal had apparently left to her, and used it to push for laws to reform the harsh treatment of half-elves.

Kratos and Anna returned to Iselia, to Dirk's house, after the Purge of Blood. Both of them stayed at home mostly, though they were, to their disgust, _paid_ consultants of the church, the Lezareno Company, and The Renegade-Mizuho spy network. Kratos frequently trained Renegades and Anna helped Sheena train the people of Mizuho.

Colette took over as the head priestess of the tiny church in Iselia, living in her old house while raising her twin children on her own, with support from Anna and Kratos. She had become a little less carefree since the Purge of Blood, but still retained her pure heart and loving nature.

It had been a long fifteen years…without Lloyd

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been fifteen years…or it will be exactly that many tomorrow. That's a decade and a half I spent going over everything in my mind. But after all of this time, still nothing makes sense._

_He promised his sister that he'd return…but those graves aren't there for looks. Yet my girl still waits. His friends still hope. His family still mourns. Our children want so badly to fight, to save this world for him, for everyone. But they can not live like we did…for only death can come of heroics._

"Anna?"

Anna Adalais Aurion looked up from her diary into the most beautiful pair of red-brown eyes that she had ever seen. In the 17 years since her return, she wondered daily how her soul could have ever survived one minute without him.

"Mitsukai is at Lake Umacy with the Donovan, Victoria, Alicia, Hoshiko, and Jonathan," Kratos said, sitting at the kitchen table across from her.

"Not Xander and Akira?" Anna asked.

"It appears Xander and Akira got in a fight again," Kratos sighed.

"I see," Anna said. "Did Raine set the place on fire again?"

"Hole in the roof. Ray."

"Aw man," Anna said, her head thumping on the table. "Why don't we just use brick to fix it this time?"

Kratos smiled. Although tragedy had swept through the former Seraphs life time and time again, with his love back and his daughter and grandchildren, he wasn't so afraid to love anymore. "At any rate, Yuan, Zelos, and I are going to go fix the school."

"All right," Anna said heavily. "You're bringing them back with you right?"

"Of course," Kratos said. "Raine and Sheena are already on their way and Colette will be along by the time we are done. Genis and Presea should be here shortly as well."

"Wonderful," Anna muttered. "Do you really think they are…becoming angels?"

Kratos took her hand in his. "I received word from Raine that there are faint flickers of abnormalities in the mana signatures of them all."

"Even Alicia and Bryant?" Anna asked.

"Which is the perplexing part," Kratos replied. "Their parents aren't angels and yet...they are changing too."

Anna sighed for a moment. "Did we do the right thing? Keeping them from fighting in hopes that it wouldn't be allowed to trigger this sort of thing."

"It appears to be happening despite that," Kratos said heavily. "If that's the case, then we have done a grievous wrong."

"I was afraid of that," she sighed. Anna slowly got to her feet. Crossing the room she wrapped her arms around Kratos. "I love you," she said, resting her forehead against his.

Kratos kissed her gently. "I love you too."

Anna watched Kratos leave and sighed. She looked around the big house and could practically feel the emptiness pressing down upon her. It was always like this. The quiet times were the worst. The memories would assault her mercilessly. She sighed, resignation in the exhalation and went outside to the graveyard.

It was tiny. Small. Unoriginal. Insignificant. But no graveyard had ever held as much sorrow as did the ground below her feet. She sat down before the four tombstones and stared blankly at the names.

Anna.

Anna closed her eyes at she stared at her grave. It was disconcerting to think that her body lay molding beneath the soil when she was alive and well above. She thought back to the time when her soul existed on an alternate plane as Adalais Orion. She had always felt so lost and confused, until that fateful day when she was called back by the souls of her husband and son, breaking even Origin's barriers. _Good old Origin…wonder what he's up to these days…_

Dirk Irving.

Lloyd's foster father had died shortly after the reunification. It saddened them all, Lloyd particularly. His grief consumed a part of him and it never went away. Dirk had been the only father he had known until he was 17, when Kratos returned. But Anna couldn't help but smile. She knew on another plane, Dirk existed, alive and content, reciting dwarven vows to poetry students. _Of all subjects._

Anna's throat tightened as she stared at the next grave. When she had lived in an alternate world as Adalais Orion, she had adored the game knows as _Tales of Symphonia_, her soul unaware that it was about her world, her family, and now she herself. She could quote every line, and often had to everyone's surprise when they were on their journey. But there was no question as to who she quoted most, who she admired fiercely, who had believed in everyone, until his end.

Regal Bryant.

_Why did Regal do it? Was it what he said before Genis, Presea, and Kratos ran into the building? Was it because he wanted to be with Alicia? What was it…_ Anna closed her eyes and conjured up the memory, trying to understand as she had been doing so for the last fifteen years.

_They had just arrived in the screaming inferno that had been the newly rebuilt Palmacosta, taking the better part of three years. The rumors had summoned everyone there, particularly The Aurions, Ka-Feis, and Wilders, whose children were in the school/daycare there. The culprit's name had been whispered on the wind…but they couldn't believe it._

"_There's no sign of him…" Anna bit her lip. "Kratos…it can't be true…"_

"_If they are seeking Colette's life," Kratos said gently, "It is plausible. You know how protective he is of her."_

"_I don't believe it," Regal said, coming up to them, running his now unbound hands through his hair nervously. "Lloyd would never cause such madness. Never."_

"_Unless the rumors are true," Yuan muttered, joining them._

"_Of Ratatosk?" Regal asked. "Lloyd's heart is too strong for that. I know him. We all do."_

"_But his weakness is Colette," muttered Anna. "Such powers prey on that very thing."_

_Regal drew himself up to his full height. "Whatever his reasons, I will never think he has done this maliciously, in cold blood."_

"_NO!" someone screamed. "THE SCHOOL!"_

_Anna, Kratos, and Yuan spun around. The school was in flames._

"_Mitsukai!" Anna screamed as Yuan shouted "Akira!"_

"_Yuan, stop!" Genis shouted, grabbing Yuan to prevent him from running in. Presea was heading back inside "We have Akira. She, Xander and Jon are with Sheena and Zelos. But Mitsukai is still inside. Presea—"_

"_Anna, wait here. Regal, find Lloyd," Kratos said, taking off into the inferno. Genis swore and followed._

And he did find him. As soon as Kratos ran off, Regal disappeared into the smoke. And the next thing they knew…he was dead and so was Commander Castagnier of the Vanguard. Lloyd had stabbed his friend in the back.

The tears ran freely as she turned to the last grave, the one with no bodym, the one put in place years ago when a pair of swords and a locket were recovered from the ruins of the Tower of Salvation. She raised a hand to her neck where that same gold locket rested in the hollow of her throat, a scratch on its surface. Her wounded heart traitorously continued to beat as her eyes watered, the crossed swords embedded in the ground turning to blue and red blurs, the letters smearing and bleeding through the tears in her eyes.

Lloyd Kratos Irving-Aurion.

* * *

The students dashed off into the early spring sunshine. Suki stepped out of the class room and stretched, letting the sun warm her face. _Nice day…even if it is nearly fifteen years since…_

Suki shook her head and strolled across the schoolyard, looking around at her fellow students. She sighed and plopped down by the large tree behind the school humming quietly. She had leaned her head back, letting the sun warm her face when a rustling noise above reached her ears.

"Jonathan," she remarked simply.

Jon dropped from the trees and grinned at Suki, the double of his flirtatious father, but for the spiky purple hair. "You wanna go, my ultra cool babe?" he asked, holding up a handful of Guardian seals.

"Not now," Mitsukai sighed yawning. "And you better put those away before anyone sees you took them. You're lucky the Professor didn't notice."

"Aw!" Jon crowed. "My babe is worried about me. How about a kiss to ease your worries?"

Suki glared and repressed her blush. "How about you drop dead? I thought we were all going to Lake Umacy today?"

"If mom still lets Xander…" Jonathan muttered. "She already poofed over." Jon shook his head and dropped his voice too. "How much longer do you think we can keep up with the whole 'We're going swimming but we're actually secretly training' routine?"

"They won't see what they do not wish to see," Suki said firmly. "Better we get caught and are able to defend ourselves then follow the rules and end up dead."

"AUNTY SUKI!"

Suki sighed and rolled away as Vikki and Don dove at her. Don crashed into the tree face first while Vikki slid across the grass on her stomach. They had inherited their mother's clumsiness, along with her eyes, but both resembled their father in every other way.

"That's what y'all get for calling me Aunty," Suki snapped.

"But it's such fun!" Don said, jumping up "Akira and Xander aren't coming." Everyone rolled his or her eyes.

"They're in for it again," Vikki said. "Grandpa, Uncle Yuan, and Uncle Zelos should be here soon to fix the hole. I'd prefer to be gone when they get here."

"I as well," Suki said, keeping her voice low. "We're just waiting for Hoshi and Alicia to bring the wingpack and we'll be off."

"So let's be off!" Hoshi chirped as he and Alicia came over, Alicia carrying a green backpack.

"They won't let Bryant and Senshi come," Alicia added as Jon opened his mouth to speak. Bryant, Alicia's younger brother, and Senshi were both eleven and still weren't allowed to leave the village without their parents. "We'll take them out tonight when they are all asleep."

Jon stretched lazily. "I guess. I still don't see why we bother. Less training we do, the less likely it is we'll fight, and therefore, less work."

Everyone took an involuntary step back as Suki got to her feet and placed herself in front of Jonathan, her eyes snapping with cold fury. Everyone agreed that Suki looked just like her dad, but that her face was clearly Anna's. It was something of a shock to see Kratos's meanest glare on Anna's face, coupled with Anna's fiery temper. She was the undisputed ring-leader of their group and had no tolerance for foolishness.

"Let me tell you something, Wilder," she said frostily. "I have a promise to uphold, not just to my brother, but to the world that he loved so much. Our parents pretend everything is fine, but we all feel the discord. And when that discord resurfaces, I plan to kill it. I won't lose anyone else. That is why we train." She turned to the others. "Any more objections? No? Then let's go." With that she stormed off, the others trailing in her wake.

* * *

REVIEW PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE!

And, from a question by Eragon Fantic, here are the meanings of the names of the children and the non-TOS related middle names:

Mitsukai-Angel  
Donovan-Dark Warrior  
Victoria-Victory Adalais-Nobel  
Jonathan-God-Gives Reid- reed (the plant. also means red-haired, like his father, lol)  
Xander-Protector of Man  
Akira-Anchor  
Hoshiko-Star  
Alicia-Truth Dara-Oak Tree  
Bryant-Strong  
Senshi-Warrior Tsubasa-Wing


	3. The Secret Revealed by an Angry Halfelf

Wow...a five month delay.

-calls out- HELLO? ... -silence- Sigh. COME BACK EVERYONE! I PROMISE I'LL BE GOOD AND UPDATE MORE OFTEN!

I'd ask if anyone is still out there, but I'm afraid of the silence. I'll hope for the best. Anyway, thank you to my lovely, dedicated, wonderful, scrumtrelescent reveiwers! I'm so outta practice that I'll resume idividual thank you's starting next chapter, but know that it was the rereading of your reviews that pulled me out of my writer's block. THANK YOU! PLEASE REVEIW THIS CHAPTER! I promise no more excessively long delays!

As a general note, there are no spoilers here for TOS 2. As another general note, character info for my OC are available on my profile. That should lessen confusion.

Without further ado...ON WITH THE SHOW!

Quote: Ada looked around. "If memory serves…we're near Asgard. You're going to save the people of Luin…which has been destroyed…" Ada's face fell and she clenched a fist. She looked up and held Lloyd's eyes with her own. "Let me come with you. I can help. Decide what you would do with me after, but I have a plan that can get you into the ranch." Mirror Image, CH1

* * *

Back on the home front, Anna was flipping through a leather bound book, a smile on her face

After her crying episode in the graveyard, Anna was back in the kitchen flipping through a leather bound book, a smile on her face. The pages were worn over seventeen years worth of handling, but the pictures were as bright as ever. It probably helped that she had once had access to the Eternal Sword and technology of an alternate dimension, but nevertheless, the pictures fondly captured all the memories of the journey of regeneration and the reunification.

Pausing, she ran her hand over one picture. A brown haired boy, dressed in red, was standing before a purple-clad man. Both of their faces were utterly serious and both had swords pointing at one another. As Anna traced the lines of the boy's face, she could practically hear what they'd say in mere moments…the same thing that had been said on the precipice of another deadly battle.

"_I'm not going to hold back this time."_

"_I know. I won't either."_

"HI ANNA!"

Anna was out of her chair like a shot, spinning around and flinging an arm out, an arm that connected solidly with the intruder's face, slamming him into a wall as he cried out, "AH! Not the face!"

Anna glared as the red headed man slumped to the floor. "Zelos! Stop doing that!"

Zelos Wilder laid twitching and moaning on the floor, his eye starting to swell. "My face…my beautiful sexy face!"

"Save your breath Anna," Yuan Ka-Fei said dryly, leaning against the doorframe. "We all know his intelligence leaves much to be desired."

"Original," Anna sneered. "How long have you been holding that one in, butterfly?"

Yuan glared. "I thought we agreed—"

"That I'd stop calling you by nicknames that undermine your gender and sexuality," Anna finished.

"Yes we did," Yuan snapped. "But you've yet to stop."

Anna put an innocently confused look on her face. "But butterfly suits your femininity so well!"

Kratos coughed from behind. "Something funny?" Yuan snarled at his own friend.

"Nothing at all," Kratos said shamelessly. "Please be seated, Butterfly."

At that moment, the door burst open and silver-haired half-elf came racing in. "No way!" Genis Sage exclaimed. "I know I did not just hear Kratos make a joke!"

"Sarcasm detected," said Presea Sage, walking in behind him. "Genis, it has happened before."

"But it still is unnerving!" Genis insisted, sitting down at the large table and taking his wife's hand in his. "Hello Anna. Kratos. Butterfly." Yuan threw up his hands and flopped into a chair. Kratos moved to sit next to Anna, but paused and cast healing magic on Zelos.

"Ow…" muttered the lecher, getting slowly to his feet. "Geeze, Anna! Did you have to hit so hard?"

Anna smiled sweetly. "Would you like to see what happens when I'm not holding back?" she asked, half rising out of her chair. Zelos yelped and covered his face. "Are you really that pathetic?" Anna asked, flopping back into her chair. "Come on. If you can't be tough, or smart, or nice, or tolerable, at least act like you have a little courage."

Zelos drew himself up indignantly. " I, the great Zelos Wilder have plenty of courage! I fear no beast! I quake before no battle! I run from no man!"

SLAM! "ZELOS WILDER!"

"Raine's here!" Genis announced.

"Gotta go!" Zelos said and with no more ado, the Chosen zipped out the back door.

"I guess he'll run from a woman though," Anna remarked.

"YOU GET BACK HERE!" shouted Raine, dashing through the kitchen and out into the yard after him.

"Get him Raine! Before he takes off with his wings!" Sheena Wilder raced into sight, her face red with fury. She looked around and grinned brightly. "Hey guys! Excuse me a sec." With that, she was off, racing after her husband and the angry half-elf.

"Did Xander get in another fight with Akira?" Genis asked, without really asking.

"Affirmative," Presea said. "Apparently, Xander was criticizing Yuan's involvement in the reunification."

"More like quoting his father," the bluenette muttered, as the door opened again and was followed immediately by a crash and a cry of, "Oh no I broke it. I'm sorry!"

Anna winced. "I hated that vase anyway…"

Kratos looked at Anna in shock. "But at your birthday party, you told me you loved it."

Anna looked at Kratos in alarm, her face flushing. "Um…I love you?"

"Hello everyone," said Colette cheerily, making her way carefully into the kitchen, still dressed in priestess garb. "I heard Zelos running from Sheena and Raine. What did he do?"

"The usual," Yuan muttered. "His son picked up his opinions and the habit of expressing them rudely and my daughter can't control her temper."

"Why isn't the Professor chasing you too?" Presea asked.

Yuan sighed and unfurled his wings. Everybody winced. A huge chunk of feathers was missing from his left pink wing. "I find it unfair. It's not my fault she is so volatile. It's Raine's."

"I HEARD THAT!" Raine shouted from outside.

Yuan gulped.

"I see," Colette nodded. "Well, cheer up butterfly! I think you were very important in saving the world!"

"Butterfly!" Yuan roared. "Not you too! MY NAME IS YUAN!"

"Oh," Colette said, blinking in confusion. "Everyone calls you butterfly so much, I thought it was your nickname. Plus your wings are a nice pretty pink like a butterfly's."

Everyone except Kratos and Yuan howled with laughter at that. Kratos snickered a bit and Yuan's face turned a strangled purple.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR PINK WINGS!" Yuan roared. "I'M GOING TO KILL MITHOS!"

"I thought we already did that?" Sheena remarked, marching into view, dragging a battered Zelos behind her. Raine glared daggers at the Chosen as she took her place beside her husband, elbowing him hard in the ribs for his comment about her temper.

"That's true," Raine said, sitting next to her husband and straightening her clothes. "So, let's get down to it."

Kratos sighed. "It appears that our decisions to keep the children from the fighting arts did little to dissuade the Cruxis gene from becoming active in the direct descendants of those with the crystals."

Everyone sighed. Fifteen years ago, just when training for Suki, Jon, Xander, and Akira would have commenced, the members of the group decided against training their children in combat. They blamed what went wrong with Lloyd on the fact that he spent his entire life fighting, namely fighting to protect Colette. They couldn't bear it when Lloyd fell. They wouldn't bear it if their children did. The children were all born with magic, and the parents taught them the basic level one spells to prevent the magic from going out of control. Once the basics were grasped, the kids were forbidden from using it and they were forbidden to learn combat.

But there was a second motive. No one knew what the results would be of offspring between or involving angelic beings. The parents were horrified to see that the mana signatures of their children all contained a dormant form of angelic blood that they referred to as the Cruxis gene. Kratos and Yuan compiled research and ultimately concluded that the evolution of angelic abilities experienced in the two former Seraphim were due to the use of mana when fighting and conjuring their wings and using magic. Aionis granted Kratos his abilities, but Aionis was triggered ultimately through combat, reacting to the use of the Cruxis Crystal. They did not know how it would function without the Cruxis Crystal, but they would take no chances. As long as the children didn't fight or use magic, they would not become angels.

But it seemed their efforts were in vain.

"The children who have at least one angelic parent aree Suki, Don, Vikki, Xander, Jon, Senshi, Akira, and Hoshi," Colette added, diligently taking notes.

"But there is another complication," Raine added. "Alicia and Bryant exhibit the same symptoms too."

"That doesn't make sense," Genis argued. "Neither Presea or I are angels!"

"Are you sure of this?" Presea asked Raine.

Raine nodded. "Their mana signatures have changed."

"This isn't right," Sheena said. "Are you sure it's not their partially elven blood?"

"It would have to be," Genis said, scratching his head. "I can't see the alternative."

"I can."

Anna and Presea smiled at one another, having spoken in unison. Anna nodded for Presea to keep speaking. The pink-haired woman gestured to the crystal at her neck. "What you see here is a half-developed, though fully controlled, Cruxis Crystal. In lamence terms and Exsphere with the potential to evolve, Much like Lloyd's. Mine never evolved, but maybe it is because I had no elvish, magically altered, or aionis infused blood introduced into my system or genetics like Lloyd did."

"Think about it," Anna said. "Lloyd became an angel by wearing the exsphere I created, one specifically designed to evolve when equipped to a half-elf. Lloyd has.." Anna swallowed hard, "had...Kratos's DNA in him, which had been altered by Aionis."

"So what you're saying is that Alicia and Bryant's partially elven blood reacted you're altered DNA as part of the Angelus project?" Sheena asked.

"That's our theory," Anna said and Presea nodded.

"If Anna and Presea are correct—" Yuan said.

"Which we are," Anna said smugly.

Yuan scowled. "Then that explains Alicia and Bryant...but not why they are all at different ages, yet developing symptoms at the same rate?"

"It also doesn't explain why they are developing at all," Raine added. "Cruxis created scenarios that forced host to go through extreme danger and use large amounts of mana. That is how an exsphere and a Cruxis Crystal develop. That's why we refused our children the chance to fight."

"Somehow I don't think our rules stuck," Zelos said.

* * *

"Stop pushing!"

"You stop!"

"QUIET!" roared Akira sitting up from her relaxed position on the grass, located some ways away from the squabbling Bryant and Senshi.

Bryant turned around. "Bite me, Akira!"

Akira jumped to her feet, glowering at her cousin. "You better shut your yaps! You've got ears, use them and let me take my nap!"

"It's not like you can sleep anymore…" Senshi muttered.

"Beside the point, Senshi." Akira glared. "Hush." She looked around the yard quickly. "Where's that brother of yours?"

"How should I know?" Senshi shrugged. "Probably hiding from Mom and Dad."

"Or at least from Aunt Sheena," Bryant said, stretching lazily. "No offense, Senshi, but your mom is a lot scarier than your Dad."

Satisfied that they would be quiet, Akira lay back down, closing her eyes and imagining that she could actually sleep. It was quiet pleasant, the warm sun, the soft grass, and the hot temperatures blowing in from the Triet desert, even this early in the spring.

Xander peeked out from behind a nearby tree, his face lit with a lecherous grin. He looked Akira's lithe figure up and down, his gaze lingering on her full breasts and long legs. Yet, as he silently approached and stood over top of her still form, he also noted how serene her face was, how her blue hair stirred gently in the breeze, her pointed ears twitching at the tiniest sounds, sensitive due to recent developments. He grinned as he thought back a few hours, remembering how beautiful and fiery she looked, attacking him on behalf of the father she loved. He adored her spirit even more than her body. Not that he'd ever admit it…

Akira's eyes flew open as a hand stroked boldly down her front. She looked up into the lecherous grin and purple eyes of Xander Wilder.

"XANDER REGAL WILDER!"

Smack!

"Worth it!" Xander yelped rubbing the hand-print on his face before taking off as Akira shot to her feet and dashed after him. "Don't be shy, my voluptuous hunny! You know you like it!"

"I will blast you back to the Balacruf Dynasty you sick pervert!" Akira roared as the two sprinted around the yard, Akira hot on Xander's heels.

"Five gald on Akira?" Bryant suggested.

"No way," Senshi said. "Five gald says they get blasted by Aunt Raine or Mom."

"I'll take that bet," Bryant said. "Besides, there's only a 3 percent chance of that happening! Haha!"

Senshi glared. "You promised you'd say statistics before we bet! Cheater!"

"Don't be mad Aki!" Xander said, stopping dead and holding up his hands in surrender.

Akira skidded to a halt, glaring at the boy. "I could happily strangle you!" she said, the air around her shimmering. It galled her to think that Xander would treat her like all of his other female conquests. They had grown up together. They had fought in secret with their friends. They were banded together to hide their epidemic from the parents. She deserved better! And she would die before she'd admit that she didn't actually hate him like she said…

"Ooh, you're in to the kinky stuff!" Xander smiled perversely. "None of my hunnies ever want to do that. Let's say you and I go into the woods and see how…" he traced her body with his eyes, "flexible you are."

"That's it!" Akira roared. She pointed her hand at Xander, a spell circle appearing underneath her.

"It's on!" Xander glared as a spell circle appeared under him as well.

"Xander! don't!" Senshi shouted.

"Akira, we'll be caught!" Bryant yelled.

"Photon!" Akira shrieked.

"Eruption!" Xander shouted.

The attacks hit dead on, but both teens threw up their shields. The angry, unfocused magic collided with the shields, causing a great, resounding explosion as black smoke enveloped them.

Inside, the adults shot to their feet as the felt a huge surge of mana well up outside.

"What the—" Zelos gasped as the table before them shook. Their eyes flew to look out the window…just as Bryant shouted, "Akira! We'll be caught!" They watched, horror struck as the spells, spells that their children shouldn't know, tore from the outstretched hands of Akira and Xander. But if that weren't enough, the unmistakable flash of green that were shields surrounded the teens, and Bryant and Senshi, as the spells exploded against them.

"No…" Anna hissed. The smoke cleared and all four children were frozen, their eyes wide with horror as the glanced through the window to see their parents watching.

Outside, Akira, Xander, Bryant, and Senshi exchanged looks.

"Frick!" Xander muttered.

"On a stick!" Akira hissed.

"With a brick!" Senshi added.

Bryant jumped up and down waving his arms, all pretense gone. "Run for it! We have to get to Lake Umacy and warn the others."

"Wait!" Xander said. "Akira and I will go this way. You two distract them. Run in the opposite direction. Go!"

"Stop them!" thundered Anna as she made a mad dash around the table after the others.

Xander took off running after the already sprinting Akira just as Yuan, Raine, Sheena, Zelos and Presea came out into the yard.

"AKIRA VIRGINIA KA-FEI!" Raine bellowed.

"XANDER REGAL WILDER!" Sheena roared.

"SENSHI TSUBASA WILDER!" Zelos shouted, uncharacteristically angry.

"BRYANT KLOITZ SAGE!" yelled Presea.

"I'll go after the little ones," Zelos said, running outside and taking off after the eleven-year-olds.

"I've got the other two!" Yuan snarled, unfurling his wings.

"Go!" Xander shouted. "Akira go!" he turned his head back at Senshi and Bryant. "Disappear!"

Senshi grabbed Bryant, just as Zelos lunged for his son, and the two vanished in a puff of smoke. "Damn it. NICE MOVE TEACHING HIM NINJA SKILLS, SHEENA!"

"IT WASN'T ME! NICE JOB TEACHING THEM MORE ADVANCED MAGIC!" Sheena roared back.

"I DIDN'T!"

"Crap!" Xander shouted as Yuan closed in. This was followed immediately by a curse as he tripped. He was Sheena's son, after all. "Get out of here, Aki!"

Akira skidded to a halt. "YOU IDIOT!" she dashed back to the fallen boy, racing her father to him. The air around her shimmered and she lunged, grabbing Xander and vanishing with him as Yuan's fist closed around empty air.

"HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE LEARN THAT!" Raine shouted at her husband.

"It must have been Botta!" Yuan snarled. "HOW DID SHE LEARN PHOTON?" Yuan yelled back at his wife.

"NOT FROM ME!"

Kratos, Anna, Colette, and Genis were with the others now. Anna was livid. "They had a plan! They had a plan in case we found out! Where did they get such rebelliousness from?"

Someone giggled.

"Is something amusing, Colette?" Kratos asked curiously.

Everyone turned to the chosen. To their surprise, her eyes were shining like they hadn't done in years as she laughed heartily into the evening sky. 'Don't you see?" she said, tears of mirth in her eyes. "Don't you know where they get this from?"

No one spoke, fearful of her sanity.

"Lloyd!" Colette said. "They're just like Lloyd!"

* * *

"Grave!"

"Mirage Seal Pinion!"

Vikki dove to the side and rolled as the guardian seal exploded in a puff of smoke where her face had been moments before. Surging to her feet, she swung her katana to the side, aiming for Jon's leg, but Jon kicked it away, lunging in and delivering a swift uppercut to the blonde, knocking her to the ground.

"Halt!" Don shouted as Jon whipped out a tiny ninja star known as a shuriken. Jon grinned as Vikki glared up at him from on her back. "Match to Jon." Jon smirked and grabbed Vikki's hand hauling her to her feet.

"He shouldn't be allowed to use guardian seals and ninja skills," Vikki muttered.

"Do you think your opponent will not use every skill he has?" Hoshi asked, walking forward, a staff in one hand. "You did well, just work on your speed…and clumsiness…"

"Not our fault," Don muttered unsheathing his double-edged sword and facing Jon. "I'll show him though, sis."

Jon twirled his shuriken lazily in his fingers, yawning as he eyed Don. "Oh really now? You think you are a match for the great Jonathan Wilder? Hah."

"Bring it, Jonny boy," Don said with a smirk.

For a moment the two boys eyed each other. Then, without warning, Don dove forward, landing on his hands and propelling himself up and over the guardian seals the Jon had hurtled at him. Landing in front of Jon, Don lunged, snaking his sword up to try and touch Jon's neck, but Jon spun away from the blade, launching a shuriken at his friend, which severed Don's sleeve slightly. A spell circle appeared under Don and he pointed his blade at Jon. "Air Thrust!"

"Guardian Seal!" Jon shouted, throwing up his barrier and skidding backward as the attack assaulted his shield. But Don was ahead of him, no sooner had Jon's shield fallen than Don was there, his sword touching the tip of Jon's nose.

"Overconfidence breeds carelessness," Don said, his voice sounding eerily like Kratos's.

"Match to Don!" Alicia said striding forward, a big ax in hand. "But not for long."

Don grinned. "I won't go easy on you, just because you're a girl…"

"Prism Sword!" Alicia shouted, a sword composed of light erupting from her ax tip. Don just barely managed to throw his shield up, but Alicia's ax collided with it, cracking it and sending Don sprawling. The boy scrambled to his feet just as the ax blade sunk into the ground where his head had just been. Alicia wrenched her weapon free and the two circled each other, Alicia's blue eyes as alert and wary as Don's red-brown.

"Don't think you can beat me just because I am a woman," Alicia hissed.

Simultaneously, they lunged forward, the ax and sword colliding in a shower of sparks as Alicia pressed down hard on Don's blade. To everyone's shock, although Don dug his heels in, he was being pushed back, by little Alicia Sage who was eight inches shorter than Don.

Alicia's voice was cool and monotone, her eyes blank in the heat of battle as she said, "Women are better suited for battle you know." She pushed away and swung for Don's leg.

Don jumped high in the air and dove downward. "Rising Falcon."

"Beast!" Alicia cried launching the attack at Don's plummeting form. The hit landed dead on, sending Don flying and sprawling on the ground. Alicia raced forward and rested the ax handle against his throat. "We will always win."

"Damn right girl!" Vikki whooped.

Don raised his hands. "Sorry, Alicia."

Alicia withdrew the ax and pulled Don up. "No problem. It helped me get in the zone."

"I'll say," Hoshi said, stepping into place. "Match Alicia…but this one's for me."

Alicia rounded on her cousin, her blue eyes determined under her pink bangs. "We'll see, cousin. Ray!"

"Tidal Wave!" Hoshi shouted.

"Duck!" Vikki shouted as the others hit the deck.

"Prism Stars!" the attack exploded from Hoshi's weapon, stars comprised of mana rocketing around the lake, reflected in the clam blue waters. One caught Alicia in the chest and flung her up into the air. With a sickening crash, she plunged into the water.

"Alicia!" Don shouted as the attack cleared. Jon was already diving into the lake after Alicia's sinking form. The ninja grabbed his friend's wrist hand yanked the ax from her grip before hauling her to the surface. Alicia coughed and vomited water from her lungs as Jon hauled her onto the bank and returned for her ax.

Hoshi ran forward and crouched next to his cousin. "Damnit! I'm sorry Alicia! I forgot—"

Wham!

Hoshi found himself face first in the dirt, the back of his head throbbing. Groaning and rolling onto his back, he found a sword tip under his chin, topped by the coldest eyes he'd ever hope to meet.

"How many times must I tell you?" Mitsukai said, her voice calm and even. "You haven't got the training to use the third level spells.

"But Alicia can use Prism Sword!" Hoshi argued.

"That because light is the only magic I have!" Alicia growled, sitting up and coughing.

"You have all the elemental magic, therefore you have to control them all," Suki said fiercely. "The only way you can use that spell is if someone teaches you how. You magic runs wild and combines with any other magic on the field. We can not have that." Suki pressed the sword tip to his chin harder. "Do I make myself plain?"

Hoshi gulped. "Yes."

A soaking wet Jon dropped Alicia's ax next to her and glared at Suki. "Who died and made you Martel?"

Suki glared at him. "I'm the best fighter. I can control my magic and emotions. Can you?"

"Yes!"

"Really?" Suki said. "All right then. Latch a guardian seal to each of those trees," Suki said, pointing to three. "Use TetheSeal Lightning, SylvaSeal Water, and ThetheSeal Ice. At the same time."

"No sweat!" Jon faced the trees and launched his seals through the air. He concentrated as a spell circle formed under him and he shouted three words. The first tree exploded, the second one did nothing, and the third one got covered in a light frost.

Jon glared at Suki. "Well you do something if you're so clever!"

"Such as?" Suki said.

Jon pointed at three more trees. "Same thing. Except use level two spells."

"As you wish," Suki sighed. She pointed her sword at the trees, a spell circle forming under her this time. "Thunder blade! Eruption! Ice Tornado!"

Each hit was perfect and narrowed down to each tree so nothing around it was harmed.

"Show off," Jon muttered.

"If you're still not convinced, we can fight here and now," Suki said, her temper rising. "I'd love to knock your ego about!"

Jon whipped out a Shuriken. "Bring it on, Aurion!"

"Hey that rhymed!" Vikki said happily as Suki slid into her fighting stance.

Suki and Jon began circling one another. Suki glared at Jon as he grinned back. She raised her sword and lunged inward.

"STOP!"

Suki and Jon skidded to a halt and whipped around. A puff of smoke appeared next to Hoshi, clearing to reveal a frantic Bryant clutching on to a yelling Senshi.

"We've been ID'd!" Senshi hollered. "The jig is up! Run!"

Everyone stared at the two boys in horror. At that moment, Akira and Xander appeared. "RUN YOU BRAINLESS IDIOTS!" Xander shouted.

"We've got thirty seconds," Akira shouted. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

"Everyone move now!" Suki roared. "Senshi, take Bryant. Xander, you grab Alicia and Don and Akira get Hoshi and Vikki. Go!" They did as they were bid. Suki raced for the wingpack and hurriedly shoved the abandoned weapons inside.

"Leave it!" Jon shouted.

"No!" Suki roared. "It has our weapons! You go!"

Jon let out a strangled roar as Suki's closed the wing pack. Both teens felt the mana in the air thicken. There were flashes and puffs of smoke as Yuan, Kratos, Sheena, Zelos, and Anna appeared, glaring ferociously at their kids. Jon and Suki huddled as they found themselves surrounded.

"Take the wingpack and go," Suki breathed in Jon's ear, to low for the parents to hear.

"Like Hell," Jon whispered back.

"I don't know what you two are whispering," Anna snapped. "But it better be prayers to Martel for you will very soon be acquainted with her!" She marched forward, the others following.

"Go!" Suki shouted, shoving the pack into Jon's arms. "Or everything will be lost!"

Jon shot her one pleading glance before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Sheena hissed. "I will kill Oorochi and Kuchinawa for teaching them that!"

Anna grabbed her daughter's arm. "We're going home," she said. "You are in trouble!"

Suki grinned at her mother. "Worth it."

"Watch your tone, young lady," Kratos said sharply. "You are in enough peril, do not make it worse on yourself. Where did the others go?"

"Home of course," Suki grinned. "We were tired of swimming."

Anna cursed and muttered something. Suki grinned even broader as the mana surged again and the others disappeared, one by one. "You're right. I am just like Lloyd."

* * *

Summary: Since the kids decided to learn to fight, the mana usage triggered angelic powers they got from the parents, and now they are in big trouble!

REVIEW! PLEASE! IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?!


	4. Denial and Determination

Is 4 years too long for an update? Probably. Oh well, I'm going for it anyway! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in my absence. This chapter isn't worth that long of a wait, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Just to reiterate, I'm pretending TOS 2 never happened in this story, aside from a mention here and there of Ratatosk. This plot is strictly my own crazy invention.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OC's.

Quote: Before them was a giant machine consisting of a conveyer belt. The belt was transporting human beings into the heart of the machine where case after case of exspheres were being released. They stared in horror, even Ada, as no trace of the people came out of the other side. "No," she muttered, feeling the bile rise in her throat. She could smell blood in the air and the scent of decaying human flesh. It was too much. Mirror Image, Ch. 2.

* * *

"Well, this explains why you all are suddenly gaining Cruxis crystals!" Anna snapped, glowering and her children, grandchildren, and assorted nieces and nephews.

"In our defense, that probably would have happened anyway, given the mix of angelic blood in most of us," Akira replied smugly.

"Quiet," Raine snapped. "If you all had listened to us and turned away from fighting, the developments might not have proceeded as quickly. We could have caught it before now."

"But now-" Presea said quietly, examining the outstretched hands of all the children. It wasn't a pretty sight. Just below the surface of the skin on each child's hand, there was a perfectly round, pale blue circle. There was no sign of the crystallizing green skin that could eventually accompany these changes, nor did any of the children lack the ability to feel pain or taste or the ability to speak.

"You all swear that the only symptom you're encountering is the insomnia?" Kratos asked. The children chorused their assent. "Very well," he said turning back to the rest of the parents. "Now...we need to figure out what must be done."

"The answer is obvious," piped up Mitsukai. "We need to go to Cruxis and get the mana fragment and head to Tethe'alla for the rest of the materials to make Rune Crests."

"We can't get to Cruxis without the Eternal Sword, Mitsukai!" Anna growled.

"Then we go find it." Suki crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her mother.

"Suki..." Anna said, rubbing her temples. "Not this again."

"You all know my views on this!" Suki snapped. "Finding his swords by the Yggdrasill tree does not mean he is dead! Not until we find a body."

"It's been fifteen years," Raine said quietly. "Don't you think he would have returned by now if he could have?"

"...I don 't know how to explain this." Suki said, brow furrowed as she stared at her lap. "I just know he is out there somewhere and there is a reason why he isn't coming back."

"What reason, Mitsukai?" Kratos asked. "What reason could hold him up for fifteen years?"

"Don't play dumb, Dad!" Suki snapped. "You all know the stories. The rumors. The half-elf kidnappings. The burning of the forest where sacred wood is grown. The darkness radiating progressively outward across the land...starting at the sight of the Tree."

"It's a coincidence, Suki." Zelos said. "There is no proof that any of this indicates a problem with the tree or the world."

"It may even be Ratatosk," Yuan pointed out, naming the Giant Tree's vengeful summon spirit

Suki jumped up out her chair, which slid back and clattered to the floor. "Then what about the rumor of a winged man cutting down anyone who tries to get near the tree! What about the evil power that all of you sense, spreading?" The adults looked at her uneasily. Suki laughed without amusement. "So much for the wonderful heroes of reunification. Too scared to do anything without their ring leader."

Suki turned on her heel and stomped out. Anna made to go after her, but Kratos stopped her. "Let her go. She needs time to think." He turned to the rest of the parents. "I think we all do. Shall we meet back here tomorrow?" The group nodded and grabbed their children, departing in small groups.

"Mom?" Jon asked Sheena. "Can I please go talk Suki for a minute. I know I'm in trouble but...she's upset. I might know how to cheer her up."

Sheena glared at her son. "With your Zelos-like behavior? No way."

"Please, mom!" Jon begged. "I won't pull any dad stuff. I swear."

"I really should be offended," Zelos muttered. "We're leaving now, son, so you'll have to wait."

"I can poof home!" His parents scowled. "Well the cat's out of the bag now so no use hiding it! I have been doing it for over a year. I know how. Please!"

Sheena and Zelos exchanged looks. "Fine," Sheena said. "Ten minutes. Go." She grabbed Xander and Senshi and disappeared, Zelos right behind them.

Jon turned and headed in the direction he knew Suki went. Sure enough, he found her sitting on the fence bordering the graveyard, staring at Lloyd's grave.

"You know I believe you, right?" Jon asked, hopping up onto the fence next to her.

"You're the only one." Suki replied hotly. "I just don't understand their eagerness to let him go!"

"Don't you?" Jon asked. "The last memories they have of Lloyd are of him killing Regal and pulling a sword on Aunt Colette. Only you had a moment of peace with him before he left. They are stuck fearing his memory and you are stuck clinging to his promise."

"He wouldn't break his promise." Suki sighed. "Not to me."

"Well unless you can convince the parents to investigate some of these rumors...you're stuck." Jon paused. "You think it's him guarding the World Tree, don't you?"

Suki shrugged. "Who knows. I just know that my brother-hell all of our parents-risked their lives for that tree and for this world. Who better to make sure that evil doesn't trump everything they worked for? It's their duty to find out!"

"But Lloyd was kinda like...the glue you know? Held them together. Maybe it is him killing people who go to the tree. Maybe they don't want the memories of him tainted any further by the truth."

"Why are you defending them?" Suki snapped.

"I'm not." Jon jumped off the fence. "I'm just playing Devil's advocate. And plus you're happier when you get to bite someone's head off, especially mine." he added with a grin.

Suki shook her head, smiling wryly. "You such a dork, Jon. But sometimes...you're pretty nice. Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"Anytime, Suks." Jon said, winking. "Oh and what I said before, about me believing you? That's not just me, you know. The others all believe you too."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jon replied, walking away. "And it may just be a guess...but I think one of the 'rents might believe you too." He turned, waved to Suki and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Suki jumped down off the fence and started back towards the house. Through the window she saw her parents huddled in deep conversation. Colette was crouched between her children, talking to them. Of all the parents who had yelled at them tonight, Colette alone had remained silent. Even now, the look on her face was one of encouragement and concern, not anger and fear.

_...It may just be a guess...but I think one of the 'rents might believe you too._

Suki grinned. It might be time for a heart to heart with her Aunt Colette.

* * *

Review please!


	5. Walk the Walk, Plan the Plan

Thank you to olirving and #1 Symphonia fan for the reviews! (And the cookies!) Hope this update is quick enough for you! Also, I am changing Raine, Akira, and Hoshi's last name to Ka-Fai since we found out Yuan's last name in TOS2. I will make this edit on my earlier chapter eventually. Now on with the show!

Disclaimer: I own the OC's. I wish I owned Kratos!

Quote: Ada turned the page to examine the picture of Martel. It was strange, but she did look, as Mithos put it, disturbingly like Tabatha…and the actual Goddess Martel. On the next page was her favorite blue headed Seraph, Yuan…there was a smudge over the last name. _No wonder you never find it out in the game. So this means the next page is…Kratos Aurion._And so it was, Kratos as he looked today, down to the purple outfit. The only difference was…"Smiling?" Ada said aloud. Mirror Image, Ch 4

* * *

"What do you think they are talking about?" Anna asked her husband as the two watched over the group of children sitting in a circle in the yard. The Sages, the Ka-Fais, the Wilders, and the Irving-Aurions, had all arrived a short while ago at Anna and Kratos's home to figure out how to proceed with the problem of the Cruxis Crystals. As the debate raged inside, the children sat outside, watched over by one of the parents at all times.

Kratos shook his head. "The same thing we are. They are a smart group. Maybe we are wrong to exclude them from discussion."

"They are also all teenagers," Anna said. "We can barely keep our generation on track and mature."

"That's true," Kratos agreed. "If Yuan doesn't kill Zelos before the day is out, it will be a miracle."

"Hey, I told all of you: in the video game we had to kill him to keep you." Anna folder her arms and scowled. "While unnecessary in reality, I'm not convinced keeping you both was a good idea."

Kratos couldn't help but smile a bit. "I'm strangely touched you would kill him to keep me."

Anna grinned at her husband, "Who said it was you I wanted to keep? At least Zelos takes out the trash once in awhile for Sheena."

"I am one of the Four Seraphim," Kratos said, looping his arm around his wife. "Such chores are beneath me."

"Oh brother," Anna said. "Give a man a position of power one time and he lords it over you forever." She cocked her head, listening inside the house to something Zelos had just said. "Oh for the love of—WE ARE NOT KILLING MY HUSBAND AGAIN TO RELEASE ORIGIN!" Anna shouted. "IT WON'T WORK!"

"I best get in there," Kratos sighed. "You'll watch them now."

"Yes, yes, yes," Anna growled rubbing her temples. "Go, before I kill the red-headed moron."

Kratos gave her cheek a quick kiss. "I love you."

Anna waved him off into the house and flopped down on the ground, cupping her chin her hand and staring out at her family. Unbeknownst to the adults, none of the children had any interest in getting up to any mischief today. For now their sole focus was on one thing: figuring out how to use Colette's understanding to further their intentions.

"So you really think Aunt Colette agrees with us?" Akira asked Jon and Suki, who both nodded. "So your plan is to ask her advice?"

"More or less," Suki replied. "The only 'rent who might be able to advise us on what to do next is Aunt Colette. All the others are too intent on stopping us from fighting."

"So our fighting really did speed up the exsphere process," Alicia said, staring at the flickering orb that was slowly pushing through to the surface of her hand. "Even for me and Bryant."

"That's what I don't understand!" Bryant said emphatically. "Neither of our parents are angels! How were we born with crystals?"

"I think it's down to Presea," Suki said, slowly, thinking hard. "She cultivated a full on exsphere in her body, but it did not evolve into a Cruxis crystal. The same thing happened to my mother, remember? She cultivated an exsphere in her body, but it didn't start evolving until it was equipped with a key crest to Lloyd. Then it developed into a Cruxis crystal."

"We don't have key crests." Alicia pointed out. "And mom still has hers, even if she isn't using it. How could it appear on us!"

Akira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "The only thing I can think of is that the mana in your partially elven blood combined with Aunt Presea's slightly altered DNA and somehow caused that DNA to mutate, making what started off as a normal exsphere in your mom evolve into a Cruxis Crystal."

"You are way too smart for me, Aki," Xander said yawning. "Can you dumb it down, please?"

"I thought I had!" Akira snapped. "How about this," she said, adopting a caveman-like grunt, "They elf, mom have exsphere. Mana make exsphere go boom!"

Xander grinned wickedly. "So…they are going to explode?"

Akira surged to her feet, but her brother yanked her down. "Akira, let it go. He is winding you up." Hoshi sized up Xander. "We all know perfectly well that you are not as dumb as you pretend to be, you're just lazy."

Senshi snorted. "Y'all have no idea," he said pointing at his older brothers. "Trying living with them."

"No thanks," everyone said in unison.

"We're so hurt," Jon and Xander said, pretending to pout.

"Don," Suki said. "Vikki." She looked around at her niece and nephew. "Y'all have been pretty quiet. What's on your mind?"

The twins exchanged glances. They looked so much like their father that Suki was sometimes unnerved. She knew this was hardest on them since their one hope lay with the father that they had never met. True, they didn't feel the loss that Suki did, but they struggled with what story to believe. A grave sat nearby, bearing their father's name. Everyone believed him dead…but not Suki. Suki insisted he lived. The twins agreed on one thing: if their father lived…why didn't he come home?

"It's hard," Vikki said. "I mean all this stuff with the damn Crystals is hard enough," she said, thumping her fist on the ground. "But to know that our only hope rests with our father…"

"And Mom," Don added. "It's like…our parents could fix all of this…but haven't. We don't know if…Lloyd is alive and if Mom wants to help us, she never has indicated that she actually will." Don shook his head. "It's like both of our parents are abandoning us in a way."

"That's not true!" Jon said. "It's not. Your mom may not actively go out of her way to help us, but she is the only one who hasn't criticized us. You even said that she didn't search your room for weapons after the Lake Umacy fiasco." Jon looked around at the group. "None of us can say the same."

"I heard Dad talking to Mom last night," Alicia added. "He said that Colette laughed when Xander and Akira took off to warn us. She said we all were just like Lloyd. It made her happy."

"You know Aunt Colette," Bryant added. "She hides things. She's afraid of upsetting anyone. She isn't the type to encourage her children to do something that could potentially ostracize them from the rest of their family."

"So what do we do then?" Don asked. "What do we say to mom? And talking to Mom is only half of it. What are we even doing? What's the point of all that training and all this talk? What can we do that our parents can't?"

The children lapsed into silence, thinking hard and unable to come up with any solutions. All except Jon and Suki. Suki stared off at the graveyard, looking at the crossed swords lying on her brother's empty grave, thinking hard. Jon stared at Suki, practically reading her mind. He knew what this was all coming to; he knew what she would do. He also knew that he'd be following her down the road she was about to take. He glanced around at his cousins and siblings and smiled. That was how they worked. Just like their parents followed Lloyd, they'd all follow Suki.

"You know…" Jon said. "It's a shame there wasn't a sequel to Tales of Symphonia. Aunt Anna could tell us what's going to happen on our journey and run around quoting everyone."

"Our journey?" Don asked. "We're going on a journey?"

Suki looked Jon in the eye for a moment and steeled her resolve. "Isn't it obvious," she said, never taking her red-brown eyes off of Jon's indigo ones. "We're going to find Lloyd."

"Also there was a sequel," Vikki added. "Grandma told me. We weren't in it."

"Man," Xander said. "It must have sucked!"

* * *

In the forest, a great tree towered over the ivy covered remains of the Tower of Salvation. Sometimes known as the World Tree, sometimes known as Yggdrasill or the Giant Kharlan Tree, this tree watched over the united world, gifting it with mana and inspiring peace and acceptance.

In the shade of its leafy branches crouched a lone, hooded figure, hand gripping his sword hilt. He didn't move, he didn't as much as twitch. He crouched and waited, perfectly still, listening intently. Nearby a twig broke and a squirrel leaped from a nearby tree onto the World Tree and began to scamper up its branches.

"Now," the man whispered.

He leaped through the air and brought his sword down hard. The squirrel shrieked and tumbled off the tree, dead before it hit the ground, a long gash in his side. The man picked the squirrel off and began to skin it. That done he walked over to the small fire he had built nearby and draped the animal over a stick, holding it over the heat from the flames. As the squirrel cooked, he stared up at the sky, a light breeze ruffling the leaves of the tree.

"It's almost time," he whispered. "Home…I'm going home."

* * *

You know what to do! (Hint: review!)


	6. Prove It

Well this took forever. But since I was absent for 4 years before, I'm think a three week is absence is more forgivable right? Right? (silence) Ok, guess not. Anyway, thank you #1 Symphonia Fan, olirving, and KSpaceman for reviewing. (And harassing me! It helped me stay on track!) Thanks to all who read and don't review too. Also, I promise some action next chapter. This has been a slow build up, but some awesome stuff is FINALLY going to be happening. On with the show!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own my own house. Sad face…

Quote: Ada thought she saw a flash of blue come from the angel's back, but in the next second it was gone. Kratos ran his blade directly into Kvar's heart. "Kratos…you pathetic inferior being!" Kvar moaned, his eyes on Ada's face. "Feel the pain," Kratos snarled. He wrenched the blade free in an explosion of blood and flesh before slashing a gash so deep in Kvar's stomach that his organs were visible and pieces of his torso fell to the floor with a sickening splattering noise. "Of those inferior beings!" Lloyd twisted his blade again before pulling it away. Kratos jerked his blade free again and glared at Kvar with all the pain and rage he possessed. Kvar fell backwards, his breath Kratos wasn't done. The Seraph raised his sword, gripping the hilt with both hands, and plunged it down through Kvar's throat. "As you burn in hell." Mirror Image, Ch. 3

* * *

Suki sat apart from the rest of the group, lost in her thoughts as they discussed possible angles from which to come at Colette. Suki already knew that no amount of planning could help them do what was needed. It wasn't that they had to convince Colette; it was that they had to try and figure out the best way to do what they now knew needed to be done.

The cold hard fact was this: they were turning into angels. They needed the mana leaf herb, a horn from a unicorn, Zircon, and more importantly, they needed the mana fragment that they could only get from Derris Kharlan. Without the eternal sword, they were stuck. They needed Lloyd, if he was alive. If he wasn't…they needed a pact with Origin. Suki shuddered at the thought of her brother being dead. True, he left when she was two, but she remembered him so clearly. He was always there, that's what she remembered most. He always came when he said he would, did what he'd say he would do, and be there when he was needed. So much so that when he promised her fifteen years ago that he would come back, at the young age of two, she believed him wholeheartedly. She still believed him.

The one thing she never understood was why he asked her not to be like him. She wanted to be like him. Everything she ever knew about him she admired. Most of the world still admired him. Why shouldn't she be like him? _Well if…when I find him_ Suki thought firmly, _I'll be sure to ask him. _She sighed and stared across the yard at her mother. _Mom doesn't want me to be like him. It's why she kept me from learning to fight. You'd think, given all she'd been through, she'd want me to be as prepared as possible. But no. She's scared and uses me as a shield._

Suki clenched her fist and stood up. It suddenly hit her all at once. The injustice of it all, the cowardice. How could they do this? How could their parents give up on Lloyd? How could they prevent them from fighting when they spent their entire lives battling to save this world? How could they punish their children for doing the same thing they did? Suki did not know…but she was going to find out.

Anna watched her daughter approach, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze, her red brown eyes, so like her father's, glinting dangerously. She folded her slender frame to sit on the ground in front of her mother and Anna was struck by how much her daughter resembled her son.

"So," Suki said.

"So," Anna replied.

"Why haven't you laid down a punishment for my disobedience yet?" Suki asked directly. "I'd have thought I'd never be seeing the light of day again."

"We have more pressing problems," Anna said. "Such as what to do about the Cruxis Crystals you all have suddenly grown. It won't be much longer before the toxicosis sets in and who knows if any of you will actually reject the Crystal and contract Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium."

"It only affects one in a million people," Suki pointed out.

"Yes, but do millions of people have Cruxis crystals," Anna snapped. "No. So we don't know what will happen or how to fix it."

Suki glared. "You know how to fix it!"

"We need the eternal sword!" Anna insisted. "We don't have it."

"Well if Lloyd is really dead then you should be able to form a new pact with Origin," Suki pointed out. "Dad can wield the eternal sword. Or Zelos. So could Jon, Xander, and I."

Anna said nothing.

"Let me guess," Suki said shaking her head. "You don't want to admit that he's alive, but you don't want to admit that he's dead either. None of you do."

"Mitsukai, you don't—!"

"Understand?" Suki yelled. "You know what mom, Lloyd left me too and he left me with memories of fire and blood. Palmacosta still mourns from that massacre. His named in synonymous with both hope and betrayal. I have to live with that as much as you do!" Suki stood. "If we children know what needs to be done then how can you adults not step up and take responsibility and do it?" With that Suki turned and started to walk away from her mother.

"He's not your son," Anna said quietly to her daughter's retreating back. "You don't know what it's like to lose a child twice and be terrified of losing the only child you have left the exact same way. To these damn orbs!"

Suki stopped and looked back. "You're right, Mom. I don't understand that. But you don't understand what it's like to know in your soul that something is true, that it's the right thing to do, only to have the people who are supposed to love and support you tell you that you're wrong."

Anna sighed. "She's way too much like me. Sweet Origin, how did we get in this mess?"

"By trying to fight a losing battle," said a soft female voice from behind her. "By trying to raise our children in a way that we knew would never really work."

Anna looked at Colette. "Can we really blame ourselves? After Lloyd went berserk and killed all of those people—killed Regal!—could we help that we didn't want our children to learn to fight, to get mixed up in the world of swords and exspheres that would ultimately lead down a path of violence."

"It's in their blood," Colette said. "Both the fighting and the Cruxis Crystals." She looked out at the children grouped in the yard. "Perhaps if we had encouraged and trained them, we'd be more in control now." Colette sighed. "You better go back inside. We are no closer to any decision than we were 15 years ago when we realized this could happen."

Anna nodded and walked back towards the house when a sudden thought occurred to her. Without turning around she asked Colette, "You knew what they were doing and you said nothing. Why?"

Colette started to walk towards the children. She did not look back as she answered Anna. "I didn't sacrifice nearly everything so my children could live in a world where they couldn't do what they believed to be right." Colette chuckled. "And I know for a fact…Lloyd would have wanted it this way. So would you if Lloyd hadn't vanished."

* * *

"Here comes Mom," Don said, nudging his twin. "Guess it's now or never."

"I heard that, Donovan," Colette said, smiling and sitting down next to her son. "What are you guys up to?"

"Well…" Vikki said, rubbing the back of her neck, just like her father did. "We were just um…wondering…um…mom…that is…we…er…"

"We wondering why you're the only parent who isn't ready to kill us," Xander said lazily. "Smooth, Vik," he added. "Real smooth."

Colette laughed. "Well maybe I should have talked to you all sooner, but to answer your question," she said, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "It's because I think our decision was wrong. We kept you from fighting because we were afraid that you would actually grow these crystals."

"But that is not actually how Cruxis Crystals are made," argued Suki. "They are normal exspheres that are placed on a compatible host and morphed by exposing the host to danger and oppression."

"Yes," Colette said. "But…well I'm not sure I understand it but according to Kratos, it seems that since all of you have at least one angel, Cruxis Crystal host, for a parent, you grew them just like Anna did when she returned from Symphonia."

Hoshi sighed. "But that means that until we get key crests, we are going to get angel toxicosis." He shook his head, blue hair winking in the fading daylight. "And with no eternal sword…there's no way to collect the necessary cure."

"And both Dirk and Altessa are dead," Akira added. "Without them or Lloyd, we have no way of obtaining key crests."

"We need Lloyd," Colette said. She locked eyes with her sister-in-law, Suki. Suki met her gaze and instantly felt something pass between her and Colette. For all Colette's cheer and apparent dim-wittedness, she had something that her peers did not: an innate understanding of the human heart. She could empathize with anyone. She believed in the commonality of the soul. She could always pinpoint exactly what someone was feeling. Nine times out of ten, she could make them feel better. And in that moment, Colette made Suki feel better. With one look, Colette's eyes conveyed everything. Colette believed in them, she knew what they were planning to do.

Colette was telling them to do it.

Colette stood up. "It's a shame he's gone," she said loftily, looking at each of the children. "If only someone could find him. Someone who wouldn't give up. Someone who would do what he would do: defy any authority necessary to avoid letting his friends down." She looked at her children the longest. "But I guess we are all too old to act that way now."

The children stared, open-mouthed and finally understanding just how fully Colette supported them. In that moment they were all united by shock and one thought:

If their parents wouldn't do what had to be done…they would just have to do it themselves.

Colette smiled her brilliant smile and leaned down to hug her two children. "I love you both so much," she said cheerfully. "No matter where you go and what you do, nothing will ever change that." Colette walked away and entered the house, leaving the children alone.

"So that's it then…" Jon said slowly. "We…"

"We're going for it," Suki said firmly. "We are going to find out what happened to my brother. If he's alive we will drag him back and make him cure us."

"If he's not?" Alicia asked.

Suki looked at her, eyes cold, voice low and dangerous. "Then…we'll find a way to do it ourselves."

She looked around to see everyone staring at her, eyes wide with something like fear. "What?" she asked.

Jon cleared his throat. "Do you have any idea how much you sound like Kratos sometimes?"

"It's creepy," Bryant added, shuddering.

Suki stuck her tongue out at her cousins. "I'll take that as a compliment." She stood and started towards the house. "I'm sure they must be wrapping up soon. Tomorrow we'll meet at the school yard and discuss our plan, agreed?" There was a general murmur of assent as the rest stood and followed Suki.

"Wait…" Jon said as they neared the house. He reached out and grabbed Suki by the shoulder. He leaned forward, towards the house "Listen."

The children fell quiet and moved slowly closer to the house. They could hear the adults talking, or rather the adult.

"That's Dad," Suki muttered.

"We have to do what is right for our children," they heard Kratos say. "That is our priority…"

* * *

"…The only reasonable solution is to confirm whether or not the pact has been broken," Kratos said gently to the gathering at his table. "If it has been broken…"

"Then Origin will rip us a new one," Anna sighed.

"But Sheena hasn't seen anything to indicate that the pacts are broken," Genis pointed out. "The seals are still intact."

"But I haven't used them in a very long time," Sheena pointed out. "There's been no need to summon anything since we united the world."

"Oh come one," Anna exclaimed. "You mean you've never summoned Volt to punish your womanizing husband with?"

"Nope," Zelos said, slinging an arm around Sheena. "My gorgeous hunny loves me too much to ever hurt me."

"And yet," Yuan said haughtily. "I seem to remember that she tried, and very nearly succeeded to kill you once." Yuan sighed and glared at Zelos. "Pity that Kratos chose that moment to have an attack of altruism."

Whack!

"Ow!" Yuan howled, clutching his head. "Geeze what was that for?!" He shot at Raine, Sheena and Anna.

"For insulting my husband!" Anna and Sheena snapped in unison.

"For reminding me that we failed kill him," Raine huffed.

"Aw…" Zelos pouted at the professor. "I thought you were glad I was alive, Raine?"

"Yes," Raine said coldly. "Now."

"She'd be more thrilled if your son would stop antagonizing Akira," Genis said lazily.

"Inaccurate," Presea said, looking at Genis. "It is widely acknowledged that Akira and Xander antagonize each other equal amounts."

"Anyway," Kratos said firmly. "Are we all agreed that we must visit the seal of Origin so that we can investigate possibly obtaining the Eternal Sword?"

"And if the pacts are broken?" Raine asked quietly. "Then what?"

Everyone looked at Kratos, who bowed his head solemnly. Tombstones to the contrary, he knew that confirming Lloyd's death, or betrayal, would come as real blow to them all. It was the reason they kept their children from fighting. It was the reason they all turned from the reality of what was happening. They feared the answer. They still didn't know what really happened. Why Lloyd went crazy, why he killed Regal, why the World Tree was in danger, why half-elves were disappearing from all parts of the globe. If Kratos was honest with himself, he knew it all cycled back to that bloody night fifteen years ago, when his son had cut down innocents and drew a blade on his own wife. Somehow it was all connected. Something that night spawned the devastation that now threatened to engulf the world.

So the question was…did they really want to know?

"We have ignored this too long," Kratos said quietly. "At the expense of our own children. That isn't what Lloyd would want. If we weren't so afraid for our sons and daughters sakes, we would have acknowledged these facts long ago and taken the appropriate course of action." He sighed and sat down. "There is nothing that quite prepares you for being a parent. There's the joy of course and the unwavering desire to protect…but then there's the fear." He looked up and met Anna's eyes. "The all encompassing, all consuming fear that something will go wrong. That the fragile amount of peace you find in family will be shattered by external forces. That not only will something or someone come along and rip that apart…but that it will all fall on your son or daughter. That they will be in danger of being hurt or killed. Every parent fears that. We all do."

"We've let it consume us," Anna added. "Just as Kratos once betrayed his son in hopes of protecting him, we've betrayed our children by not trusting them. We feared they would become us, become Lloyd and make our mistakes. We had the best intentions…"

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," Zelos said, seriously for once.

"So what do we do?" Sheena said determinedly. "We set off for the seal, right? As soon as possible?"

"Logically, we can't all go," Yuan said. "We have the children to worry about."

"Then let us help!"

The adults turned toward the doorway to see Suki, Jon, Don, and Akira in the doorway. The four oldest stood, glaring defiantly at their parents. Their twins and younger siblings were grouped behind them, looking no less determined.

"No!" Anna snapped, eyes flashing. "It is by far too dangerous!"

"No more dangerous than when you reunited the worlds!" Don countered. "Actually this is less dangerous. There is safety in numbers."

Akira stepped forward and gestured to the group behind her. "Think. We could go for the seal with Aunt Sheena while you all investigate the oddities at the world tree. Jon and Senshi should be able to use the summoning arts. If there is need for a new pact, obviously the summon spirits will not be inclined to make a vow with Sheena. We can help. And we can fight!"

"You haven't the skills needed to take on a Summon Spirit," Yuan said, crossing the room to put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "You have minimal combat training and flimsy self taught techniques—"

Akira shrugged her father off angrily. "We know more than you think. We have practiced long and hard and are no less capable then you all were at our age."

"Even Bryant and Senshi can take on Suki, who is by far the best." Alicia piped up, causing the two youngest to grin. "The rest of us are just as good."

"Alicia and I can now do level two techniques!" said Hoshi. "We haven't mastered level three yet. Suki has, though."

"Suki's the best," Bryant added. "She's the one that teaches all of us. She's the only one who can use advanced techniques. Jon can't even do that, but his ninja skills are really awesome."

"Even Xander is good with a sword," Senshi said. "And you know how lazy he is!"

"Hey!" Xander snapped, thumping his brother on the back of his head. "I'm better than Don and Vik."

"Are not," chorused the twins.

"Am too!"

"Whether or not you can beat each other bears no weight," Raine interrupted. "You are all unskilled. And you don't know just how difficult it is to fight in reality."

"That's not true!" Jon shot back.

"Isn't it?" Zelos said, walking up to his son and glaring. "Do you really think you could drive a sword through a man's heart and watch him fall, knowing that he lies dead because of you?"

"Zelos!" gasped Sheena as Jon paled.

"No," Zelos said, glancing at her. "No. He wants to fight—they all do. They need to know it's more than flashing a piece of metal and beating up a bad guy. They need to understand that everything they fight may, and probably will die, and someone somewhere will grieve that loss. Abnd that one day it could be them."

"We can do it if you show us how," Don said. "We are strong, but we'd be stronger still with the right training. We'd be better prepared, emotionally and physically if we had proper teaching."

"You all can give us that," Vikki added. "You taught the magic users the basics so they wouldn't destroy everything in their path. This is just expanding."

"It's much harder than that," Genis said. "You are too young to understand."

"So we are supposed to crouch behind you for the rest of our lives," Suki shouted. "And what happens if you all go on this journey and fail? The n what? We all turn to angels and die. That or we pick up that mantel and try to finish your work, with, as you put it, scant combat training. You are leaving us defenseless and you won't always be here to protect us."

"But we are here now," Anna shouted back. "And we WILL protect you, as long as we are able. While we can. Like I couldn't do for your brother…or for Regal."

"That's not good enough," Suki roared. "We aren't Lloyd, mother. We won't all fall."

"Yes you are," Colette said. Everyone looked at her. "Gosh…you are all so like him. And you're right. We won't always be here." She smiled up at the group. "I should have spoken up a while ago…but old habits die hard." She laughed. "Let them fight," she said to the parents. "Let them try. We owe it to them, and we owe it to Lloyd."

"No," Anna said. "They haven't the skills and we haven't the time, look!" She grabbed Suki's writs and held up the glowing hand. "If we let them fight…the process will only speed up."

"She's right," Sheena said. "We also don't have the time to teach them. Every day we waste is closer to these damn orbs taking them over."

"We're better off fighting for our lives than waiting to die," Suki said quietly. She looked around the room at all of the stony, refusing to accept their dismissal. She scrambled for something, anything that could change their minds. "We—I—we're stronger than you think!" She looked around frantically. "I'm—

"Suki," Jon said quietly, gripping her shoulder, hearing the desperation in her voice.

"No!" Suki shouted, shrugging him off. "I can do it. I am stronger than the rest. I'm—I'm stronger than Lloyd ever was!"

A ringing silence fell, following her shout. It seemed to hang in the air. Suki gulped, knowing the outrageous nature of her statement, but unwilling to back down now. She needed to make them see. To make them believe. If nothing else, she needed them to see that she was serious…albeit wrong.

"Prove it."

Suki gulped again and shuddered. She met the emotionless eyes of her father, who sat unmoving at the table, arms crossed, eyes closed.

"D—dad?" She stuttered. "What do you mean?"

Kratos opened his eyes and stared his daughter down. For a moment, he stood in Welgaia, looking at his son, who stared at him in horror when Kratos declared, "You must defeat me." He blinked and it was Suki again…but his declaration had not changed. "If you want to fight, if you want to prove to us that you can handle this, that you are stronger than your brother…then you must defeat me."

* * *

You know what to do! Review!


	7. Deja Vu

Two months. I'm getting better! Thanks again to all my reviewers. As a treat, I have two chapters for you today, now with plot development! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine. (Sneaky sneaky!)

quote: "I'm not going to hold back this time." Kratos found himself saying, hiding a wince as Anna whispered it along with them, her eyes closed, the words permanently ingrained on their hearts. "I know…I won't either." Lloyd said, shocking his mother and father by responding in the exact same way Kratos had fifteen years ago. It was quiet, no sound apart from the wind rushing through the trees. Quiet, as though the world knew its fate hang in the balance and had ceased moving. Quiet…the quiet before the storm. Then Anna heard it. Running footsteps followed by the clash of metal on metal. Mirror Image, Ch. 19

* * *

One of the things Kratos had always loved about Anna was her spirit: her determination, her dedication, the fire that lit her eyes and made Anna...well Anna. Even her red-hot temper was endearing.

Until it was turned on him and he was left staring at a remarkably red faced woman who wanted to wring his neck.

"Anna," he said calmly. "I did not mean that Mitsukai had to kill me."

"YOU SAID TO HER WHAT YOU SAID TO LLOYD!" Anna roared.

"Unintentionally, I assure you," he said patiently.

"This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" Anna stamped her foot and pointed at Zelos. "And that includes everything he has ever said. Ever."

"Hey!" Sheena snapped. "Now that is not fair!"

Zelos grinned. "Aw, thank you baby. I love-"

"Zelos has said far stupider things," Sheena interrupted. "You're just mad and have mercifully forgotten."

"-you..." Zelos finished lamely. "Why are you guys so mean?"

"Well you're kind of an idiot," Genis muttered. Yuan smiled slightly at the younger half-elf as they both ignored Zelos's mournful sigh.

Meanwhile, Suki was on the ground stretching out her legs, having a whispered, and somewhat frantic, conversation with Jon.

"Kratos is much faster and stronger than any of us," Jon was advising. "But you are cleverer I think and probably just as fast. He is methodical and observant, so be as clean and original as you can. Don't use the same move twice. Try-"

"Jon," Suki interrupted. "You do realize that everything you are saying comes from MY lessons?"

"Well don't forget one of your most important lessons," Jon snapped. "Know your limits." He pointed at Kratos. "This is your limit. This is beyond your limit."

"You don't think I can win?" Suki said, frowning.

"I know you can't," Jon replied. "And so do you. So don't try. Show them what you can do and don't worry about winning."

"But I have to win!"

Jon shook his head. "You have to try and go down swinging. Trust me. They will respect that just as much."

Suki stared at him for a long moment. "When did you get so smart?"

Jon grinned. "When you started teaching us, my sexy little kitten." He stood up and offered her a hand up, which she accepted rolling her eyes.

"Are you ready Mitsukai?" Kratos called.

"Yes sir," Suki replied firmly.

"You'll need a b." Kratos said approaching her. "We have some stored in the workshop. Go get one."

"That won't be necessary," Don interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him as he walked up to his aunt and grandfather. "She has her own. We all do." In his hand was the wing pack they used to store their stolen weapons. Suki's eyes widened slightly at Don choosing to divulge this piece of information, but Don held her gaze and she understood: now was the time to tell the truth and hope that it could pay off. Don reached into the wing pack and withdrew Mitsukai's sword, handing it to her hilt first. Suki accepted it and turned to face Kratos. She swung the blade a few times, adjusting to the feel of it in her hand. She smiled softly, comforted by the feel of the leather wrapped hilt, the reassuring weight in her palm.

Kratos retreated a few paces and faced his daughter. _Another father child battle. Why has fate brought this to my doorstep yet again? The dynamic may be different…but the facts remain the same. I have done my child a grievous wrong and it must be corrected. If I can open Anna's eyes, there might be a chance for Mitsukai. We have to try._

Suki took a fighting stance and grinned crookedly, gazing sideways at her very pale mother. "I'm not gonna hold back," she said in a snarky tone of voice, knowing full well the effect those words would have on her mother.

Kratos glared at his daughter, knowing what she intended. He would not play her game.

"No," Anna muttered, covering her eyes. The wind whispered through the trees behind them, father and daughter frozen, wound tight like snakes waiting to strike. Anna prayed with everything in her that this would stop, but she knew full well that she was not very high in Origin's favor. The wind shifted and by some unknown signal, father and daughter sprang into action.

Kratos surged forward, Suki a beat behind him, taken aback by his speed. They closed in a matter of seconds and the sharp twang of metal on metal filled the air. Suki immediately went on the defensive, she had no choice. Kratos was too quick for her and far stronger, but there had to be a weakness, there just had to be.

Suki shoved hard into her next block, pushing her father back slightly, but he recovered just as quickly. "Defense does not win a battle," Kratos said, crouching low as they circled each other.

"You're too fast," Suki gasped.

"Enemies slow for no man," Kratos replied.

"Then I will slow you down," Suki snarled. Swiftly, she surged forward swinging her blade in a vertical arc, but Kratos side-stepped, swinging his sword towards the back of her neck. Suki used the moment from her swing to pivot and point her sword directly at his oncoming blade.

"Fireball!" The attack hit Kratos's blade, knocking his strike askew and making him stumble. Suki skidded back from the backlash of the attack and raised her hand, keeping her sword pointed at Kratos. "Ice tornado."

"Thunder blade!" Kratos yelled. The two attacks hit each other squarely sending bits of electrified ice and water flying everywhere.

_He's still too fast! _ Suki thought as they ran at each other. _What edge could I possibly have on him? _

_"Kratos is much faster and stronger than any of us…but you are cleverer…"_

_That's it! _Suki skidded to a halt just seconds before Kratos lunged, she sidestepped and hit the ground, tucking and rolling forward. As she surged to her feat, she flipped her blade around and stabbed hard through the space between her arm and her body. Kratos just managed to block it and lunged again as Suki flipped the hilt and spun around, swiping the air in front of her and yelling, "Beast!" Kratos back flipped away and retreated pointing his own sword at his daughter.

"Better," he observed.

Suki smirked. "I can think outside of the box."

"That's good," Kratos observed. "You are, however, forgetting one thing."

"What's that?" Suki said arrogantly.

Kratos smirked himself and disappeared, reappearing a scant inch from Suki's nose.

"Angels don't fit in boxes very well," Kratos said as Suki squealed and stumbled backward. Kratos lunged and she stumbled back more, finally righting herself. Kratos raised his sword and Suki knew she was left with one option—to go down on her own terms.

"Grave!" Kratos yelled and Suki did the only thing she could do…she lowered her weapon and closed her eyes.

The ground erupted beneath her, launching Suki high in the air. Anna screamed as her daughter slammed down hard to the ground. Kratos squinted through the dust to see Suki lying motionless where she had landed.

"Mitsukai" he muttered, dropping his sword and running to her, Anna just behind him. The others started forward before noticing their children's faces.

Don, Vikki, Jon, Xander, Akira, Hoshi, Alicia, Bryant, and Senshi were all grinning. Ear to Ear.

"Stop!" Yuan shouted to Kratos and Anna.

Suki, who had worked very hard to remain very still sat up and shouted, "Indignation"

Kratos knocked Anna to the side and felt the ground shake as power surged up from the ground, coursing through him as he fell forward and covered his head, pain blooming throughout his body. As quickly as it came, the earth quieted. He rolled over onto his back and felt metal under his chin as his own red brow eyes met their twin.

"Looks like I win," Suki said, grinning.

Kratos blinked at his daughter for a minute, before smiling slightly himself. "You have not."

"I have the high ground," Suki said, glaring.

"I have the low ground," Kratos said, smirking. He lashed out, slamming one foot into Suki's leg just above her knee cap. Her leg crumbled beneath her and Suki went down on one knee with a cry. Kratos surged to his feet and grabbed the sword from her hand.

Suki panted as she felt cold steel slide under her chin and lift her face upwards. She met Kratos's eyes with a scowl, staring him down the length of her own sword.

Anna stomped up to Kratos. "You've made you point," She snapped, crouching by her daughter. "Back off." She put her hand on Suki's shoulder and tried to help her up. "Are you ok, sweetie?" She asked tenderly.

Suki shoved her mother's hand away. "I'm fine, you don't need to baby me." She got to her feet and held her hand out to her father for her sword. "I may have lost, but even you see I should be allowed to fight."

Kratos tapped the tip on the ground, his face unreadable. "The agreement was that you would have to beat me."

"I almost did!" Suki shouted.

"Your enemies will not care about almost!" Kratos said harshly. "You either defeat them or you do not. There is no room for error and no room for almost."

"But we can help!" Suki shouted.

"Stop it," Kratos said. "Stop it right now, Mitsukai. You are a child with a bad temper. You all are," he added, looking over his shoulder at the rest of the children, before turning back to Mitsukai. "And what's more you are my child. I will not lose you to your own shortcomings."

Suki spun round, looking from her father to her mother. Their faces were blank, their decisions in their eyes. She looked to her aunts and uncles. Nothing. Colette wouldn't even meet her eyes. Her eyes then found her friends. She knew they wouldn't lie. As they stared at each other, they said more than their parents could ever hope to understand. Then, very slowly, they all shook their heads.

The decision had been reached. Their parents were of no help. They were on their own.

"Fine," Suki said to her father and mother. "Fine. You do what you have to." She walked away, into the woods and out of sight.

_And I'll do what I have to._

* * *

"So it's agreed then," Kratos said. "Anna, Genis, Presea and I will head for the Tree. Sheena, Raine, Zelos, and Yuan will head for the Ymir forest. Colette and Botta will keep an eye on the children."

"We were wrong to do this to them," Sheena said sadly. "If the rest of them are anywhere near as good as Suki, then they deserve a chance."

"We only know of Suki's strength for certain," Presea asked. "We have insufficient time to accept the risk."

"She's been teaching them," Genis argued.

"And if we run into Lloyd?" Raine asked quietly. "Especially if he has been corrupted by Ratatosk's evil as we suspect?"

"We don't know if that is even a remote possibility!" Yuan insisted.

"But if it is, they'd be the first targets since they are weaker," Zelos replied. "Parents are supposed to protect their kids. That is what we are doing."

Nearby, Don muttered, "But at what cost."

"The cost of the world apparently," Suki growled stepping out from the trees. She jerked her head to the left and the children followed quietly, their departure masked by the adults conversation. "So I've decided…we leave tonight."

"How?" Vikki asked. "They'll be watching like hawks."

"Very quickly, then," Suki said. " We'll have to split ionto two groups and rendezvous at a central point." Suki though for a moment. "Alicia, Bryant, Xander, Jon, Senshi, you will meet at the Otherworldly Gate by 2 a.m. It is essential you be there and get through that portal. We're lucky there is a full moon tonight. Hoshi, Akira, Don, Vikki, and I will meet in the woods by the Iselia ranch by 2 a.m. We all meet at Lake Umacy tomorrow at noon."

That's not a lot of time," Akira pointed out.

"Exactly, which is where you, Hoshi, Xander, Senshi, and Jon will really come into play," Suki replied. "Tethe'alla group, you will have to get as close as you can to the Otherworldly gate, to the coast near Ozette. Xander, you and Senshi will have to transport Alicia and Bryant, can you do that?"

"Of course," Xander replied, somewhat smugly.

good," Suki looked back at Akira. "Aki, Hoshi, both of you can faze like Yuan, correct?"

"I can, Akira replied. "Hoshi isn't as good, but I can guide him, even with passengers."

"As long as you're sure." Suki replied. "We are going to attempt to combine your fazing power and have you transport Don, Vikki, and myself once we get to the Ossa trail. We'll limit the distance so that you won't have to drain as much mana."

"What about me?" Jon asked.

"You are strongest at ninja poofing," Suki said.

"We need a new term besides poofing," grumped Xander. Suki glared.

"I need you with the Tethe'all group, but before that...I need you to do the hardest job," Suki said, putting her hand on Jon's shoulder. "I need you to poof into The Sages house, the Ka-Fei's house, Colette's house, my house and steal our parents weapons. And your own parents of course."

Everyone stared at Suki, unnerved by her daring.

"Why?" Jon asked, thunderstruck. "What will that accomplish?"

"It will slow them down," Suki replied. "And give us a fighting chance since our own have been confiscated. Grab every one you can and stuff it into a wingpack. You'll have to steal one of them too." Suki locked eyes with Jon. "Can you do it?"

Jon gulped audibly but held firm. He was his mother's child after all. "I can do it."

"Ok," Suki replied. Suki clenched her fist and looked at the group. "Do not be late. Do not miss the rendezvous point. Move fast and quietly. Stay off the main roads. Pack for a week long venture. It will take longer than that, but we can scrounge on the way. Bring whatever money and food you have. Understood?"

The group nodded their assent.

"One more thing," Don said quietly. "One thing we've all known but haven't discussed." He raised his hand and pointed at the blue circle just below the skin. "We must keep this hidden. We must fight these symptoms as long as we can. If anyone starts to feel the other effects...they return home."

"No!" shouted Akira. "That's not fair!"

"It's a liability we can't afford," Vikki said firmly. "The fighting increases that. We all know it."

"We will be too far from help and woefully under-qualified to help ourselves," Bryant pointed out. "No matter what we have to stay alive until this is resolved."

"She's right," Hoshi said, patting his sister on the shoulder. "We have to be logical."

"We can't do much if we are crippled," Senshi pointed out. "Especially if we contract Angelus…Angelus crystal…um…the green thing."

"Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium," Alicia supplied.

"Yes that," Senshi said with a nod to Alicia.

"They're right," Suki said. "Anyone who develops more symptoms goes home." She cocked her head to one side listening to the parents. "And it looks like we are all going home now." She looked around meeting they eyes of all of her friends and relatives and was proud to see determination in each and every one of their faces. "Tonight then. 2 am Tethe'alla group at the gate. 2 a.m. Iselia group at the ranch." She nodded once to her family. "Go. And be careful."

* * *

Review please!


	8. The Glass Cracks

Two chapters in one day. Don't say I never did anything for you guys! :) As always, thanks for all the reading and all the reviewing and on with the show!

Disclaimer: You already know that I own nothing.

Quote: Anna wrenched her sword out, rage intensifying as the man fell. Something gripped her as the dead man fell. She had an overpowering urge to cut him to ribbons for harming her son. She raised her sword. _What's happening? _The sword descended and sunk into the man's flesh, satisfaction tearing through her. Inside, her blood was heating up…really heating up…pain ripping through her as she hacked him a third time. "Ada!" Lloyd shouted. "He's dead. Stop!" But Anna couldn't stop. Her arm was on fire with pain again. "Damnit…" she cursed trying to keep her sword above her head, struggling as her hand felt as though it was being torn to ribbons. "DAMNIT!"

* * *

Jon lay awake that night, listening to the sound of silence fill his room at the Wilder mansion. It wasn't like he could sleep anyway. But more than that, he was filled with dread about what he was about to do.

_Sure, I can rob all of our parents, no problem. There's only the tiny matter of outwitting the heroes of our time with their super sensitive angel powers. It's ok Suks, I got this. Hey, maybe when I'm done, we'll go get married and live happily ever after in our castle in the sky with unicorns frolicking on our rainbow-colored lawn!_

Out in the hall way, the mournful tolling of the grandfather clock struck the midnight hour. He listened, his developing angel sense serving his purpose well. No sound met his ears. He sighed deeply and threw back the covers, revealing himself to be fully dressed in one of his mother's old training uniforms: a deep black body suit made of thick cloth with thin black armor plates at the chest, elbows, and shoulders. A dark blue sash was secured around his waist and held several loops that he hoped to fill with a collection of shuriken. The ensemble was completed by black boots, fingerless black gloves, and a hood that obscured his entire face, except his violet eyes. He was dressed for stealth. Now he only hoped he could pull it off.

He took a deep breath and focused hard. There was a tug, a quiet puff of smoke and he found himself staring up at Genis and Presea's house in Ozette. He wasn't interested in the house, however. What he was interested in was the small shack nearby, the one where Presea had grown up. The one where her father, mother, and sister had met their end.

Needless to say, they didn't live in the house, but they used it as a workshop still. And an armory.

Jon crept over to the shack and peeked in the window. There was no light on and seemingly no one inside. He slid over to the door and pressed his ear against it. No sound. Quietly he reached out, gripped the handle and turned. The squeaking of the hinge was as loud as a gunshot to him and he froze waiting for a monster, or worse, Presea, to jump out and crush him flat. When nothing did, he reached into his pocket and pulled out part of the slab of bacon he had lifted just before he pretended to go to bed and carefully greased the hinges. He tossed the meat into the woods and grinned as he tried the door, which now opened silently. He sidled inside and bypassed the first room, full of Presea's work tools. In the second room, there hung three axes, suited for combat instead of woodwork as well as three kendama's, the toy Genis used to channel his magic. Jon pulled out the wing pack he had removed from Don's care and hurriedly jammed it all inside. He slid out as quietly as he had come.

_One down…three to go._

* * *

Akira and Hoshi slipped out of their rooms at the same time. They listened hard for sounds coming from either of their parents, but heard nothing. Akira wasn't fooled however. Her father could be as silent as the grave. And twice as deadly. Akira signaled Hoshi to take the back door. They had decided beforehand to take separate ways, that way if one was caught, the other could warn everyone. Of the children, Akira and Hoshi were the most at risk. Their parents were smart and Yuan in particular lived his life in the shadows of deception. If anyone caught them, it would be Yuan.

Akira moved slowly, her backpack strapped down to prevent any jingling, her boots in one hand. She slid down the hallway like a ghost and paused just outside her father's office, not daring to breathe. Nothing stirred, not a sound. Slowly she took one step forward.

"Going somewhere, Akira?"

Akira froze as though Hoshi has just hit her with a well-placed icicle attack. The lights in Yuan's office burned to life and Akira knew she was caught. She poked her head around the corner, her blue and silver hair shimmering in the faint light.

"Just going for a walk around the house, Dad," she replied smoothly. "Can't sleep. You know how it is."

Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well why don't you come in and we will have a chat."

"I…I can't," Akira said.

"Why not?"

"I'm in my nightdress."

"And…?"

"It isn't decent!"

"Akira Virginia Sage," Yuan said, his voice low. "Get in here. Right now."

Akira sighed and stepped into the office, revealing her travel gear and glaring determinedly at her father. Of all the people she thought would mess up, she never would have guessed it would be her. She was betting on Xander. But here she was—trapped. Yuan would bring this whole thing down and it was all her fault. She couldn't stop it…but she was her father's daughter. She wouldn't tell him anything about her plans. She too, could deal in secrets.

"Where are you going?" Yuan asked.

"Out," came the cold reply.

"Out where?"

"That is my affair."

"Are you going with Suki?"

"I really can't say."

"Where is Hoshiko?"

"He should be asleep, should he not?"

Yuan sighed. "You're too much like me." He stood and gripped the hilt of his sword. Akira flinched and cursed herself for flinching. Her own father wasn't about to cut her…was he?

"Although the stubbornness…" he said, coming around the desk. "That's 100% your mother." He stopped in front of her. "Just don't tell her I said that." Yuan smirked and unclipped the sheath from his belt. Akira's mouth fell open as he offered her the blade.

"Dad…"Akira gasped. "Wh-?"

"You don't have much time," Yuan said. "I won't delay the others…but I won't stop you all either." He shook his head. "How you all got to be as stubborn as the man you never met I will never understand. I'll have to limit your time with Mitsukai when this is all over."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"You'll find out soon enough…if you fearless leader is correct in her theories that is." Yuan put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Akira…I know you think you know everything…but you don't. No one does. Please be open to the things you don't know."

"I'll try," Akira said.

"And…look out for your brother." Yuan turned away. "If he took the back door, he'll find something he desperately needs."

"Thank you, Dad," Akira said backing out. "Say good-bye to Mom for me." She retreated a few more steps and hurried out the front door. She looped around the edge of the house and crept into the trees bordering the village, gripping her father's sword.

"Aki!"

Akira spun around as Hoshi emerged from behind a tree, clutching their mother's staff and looking pale. "Look," Hoshi said, holding out a note. In the light of the full moon, their father's handwriting was plain.

_Be safe._

* * *

Alicia couldn't meet sleep, but she had achieved a sort of meditative state that help her relax and focus her mind. As she lay in her bed, waiting for the one o'clock hour to strike and for the arrival of Xander and Senshi, she drifted, her mind empty, her body resting as best it could.

Until a knock on her door shattered the quiet in her mind. Alicia sat bolt upright and glared. "Go away, Bryant." She hissed. "You'll get us caught!"

Ignoring her warning, the door edged open and Bryant stuck his silver head inside. "Yeah…" he said sheepishly. "We're a little too late, Alicia."

The door swung open and Genis entered, holding Bryant by the strap of his knapsack. Alicia groaned and flopped back down on her bed. _Of course it would be US that gets caught. Not Akira or Xander who can never keep silent, but us who fly so low below the radar._

"I have found many interesting things in my search of the house," Genis remarked lightly. "For example, someone has stolen all of my kendama's, except the one Bryant is holding in his backpack, and all of your mother's axes have been taken too." Genis let go of Bryant and leaned against the door frame. "And, for some reason, bacon was involved in the theft because the door to the workshop reeks of it. I don't get that part, but that screams of one of the Wilder boys." Genis raised an eyebrow. "Alicia?"

"I know nothing," Alicia said.

"Bryant?" Genis said, turning to look at his son, who shrugged.

Genis sighed. "There's some ingredients for sandwiches in the fridge. Take them with you. You'll need your strength." Bryant's mouth fell open and Alicia sprang up again. Genis grinned. "Lloyd was my best friend. You two are smart enough to have seen this coming, aren't you?"

"So…we can go?" Alicia asked uncertainly.

"'I'm giving you a chance," Genis corrected. "Don't mess it up." He sighed. "The truth is…I have never been brave. Not like your mother. Not even like you two. Anything heroic I ever did was because Lloyd told me I could do it. With him gone, things kinda fell apart. We need him back or we need closure." Genis sighed again. "Just look out for each other. And hurry up before your mother wakes up." He glanced back at his daughter. "Bryant already has my Kendama. Your mother's axe is on the table. Go and know that we both love you."

Alicia nodded and grabbed her own knapsack from under the bed. Genis started to walk out of the room, but was stopped as Alicia and Bryant threw themselves at their father, hugging him hard. Genis clutched his children to him for a moment and then they all drew back. Alicia smiled, her mother's smile, and grabbed Bryant's hand before heading down the stairs and out of sight.

* * *

Xander and Senshi crept silently through the halls of the mansion, listening for any sign that their parents knew they were up and about. Fortunately they heard nothing. As they entered the hallway that led up to the armory, they paused, making sure yet again that their mother wasn't about to pull any ninja tricks on them. Xander wished that Jon was here to keep look-out, but he had to manage this one blind. He thought Suki was wrong about Jon being better at sneaking and poofing, but Xander knew the chick had it bad for his brother so he allowed Jon to have the dubious honor of being cat burglar extraordinaire. The two brothers entered the armory silently and came to a halt. Senshi gasped out loud as they stared around, completely confused.

The armory was empty but for one sword and one katana. Not just any sword either, but Zelos's sword. Senshi stared at his brother and they both knew they were thinking the same thing: why didn't Jon take these with him?

Senshi shrugged and motioned to the sword. Xander walked forward slowly, silently, and lifted the sheathed blade. How many times had he seen his father use this, dreaming that one day he could just hold it, just once? Now was his chance…but was it the right thing to do? Could he really take his father's sword?

_Either I take it or it gets buried with the rest. The least I can do is bring it back to him._

Xander lifted the blade with trembling fingers and hung it from his blue belt. Senshi clipped on the katana, noting that it was the one his mother used to train Mizuho initiates. They both took one last look around the armory, Senshi's eyes lingered on something he could almost make out in the shadows. Then with a shrug, Senshi disappeared, Xander right behind him.

Sheena and Jon stepped out of the shadows once they were gone.

"Not too bright are they," Sheena said to her oldest twin son. "That comes from your father."

"Hey, Senshi almost saw you," Jon pointed out. "But poor Xander. Not very ninja like."

"Nah," Sheena sighed. "He didn't take to it like you did. That's why it's only fitting that he gets Zelos's sword." She eyed her son. "Stubborn to the very end, aren't you?"

"Just like you, right?" Jon said with a grin.

Sheena nudged him. "You will take care of them?"

"I will," Jon promised.

"Including Xander?"

"Especially Xander."

Sheena nodded. "All right. Go. And get back here in one piece." Jon smiled and stepped back. Sheena hesitated and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small square box and tossed it to Jon. "And bring these back in one piece too."

Jon looked puzzled as he slid open the box, then he gasped. Inside were guardian seals, but not just any seals.

"These are…"

"My grandfather's," Sheena said nodding. "Yeah. So don't mess around, ok?" Jon nodded. "Be careful, Jon. Tell your brother's I love them. And don't tell your father I helped you."

"I won't," Jon replied. "I love you mom. Tell dad…I'm sorry." Jon nodded once more and vanished.

Sheena sighed. "Boys...good luck."

* * *

Don and Vikki crouched between their beds, piling all they would need into the battered travel packs they found in the attack.

"We're just gonna walk out on Mom like this?" Don asked.

"It's the only way," Vikki said. She pointed to her hand. "We have to find the Eternal Sword or we are all in trouble. The parents may not be able to do it, not without…him. So we'll do it ourselves."

"Him," Don said bitterly. "And if we do find him? Then what?"

I don't know," Vikki said. "If he is alive…well…he is our father, Don."

"Who abandoned us and kill a bunch of people," Don growled.

"He had to have had his reasons, "Vikki said sensibly. "They say it was the Vanguard threatening Mom that broke him."

"They say a lot of things," Don retorted. "Doesn't make them true."

Vikki and Don looked at each other. Of the two, Vikki was more sensible and logical, a product of her grandfather through and through. Don was more reliant on his own emotions and his sensibilities, like both of his parents and his grandmother. Sense and Sensibility, Anna called them, referring to some kind of weird book in her old world. They balanced each other out usually, but Don had a stubborn streak a mile wide that Vikki couldn't always control. He was stubborn when it came to Lloyd. Both he and Vikki wanted to believe that their father was alive, but they had different theories about his absence. Vikki reasoned that Lloyd was missing because he was prevented by force, or he was afraid that harm may come to his family. All the evaluations she ever heard of Lloyd supported that. Don, on the other hand focused more on his own anger and sense of abandonment. For him, Lloyd being dead was the only excuse he would ever accept in regards to Lloyd's absence.

"Well…I guess we're going to find out," Vikki said lightly, snapping the top of her pack shut.

Don stood and helped his sister to her feet. "This is it," he said. "We may not come back."

Vikki gripped her brother's hand. "We will come back. I promise. All of us. And we may even bring Lloyd with us."

Don shook his head wearily. "We'll see. Ready?" Vikki nodded. They open the window and pushed the shutters open, letting in the cool night air. They both glanced over their shoulders at their closed and locked bedroom door.

"Bye, Mom…." they whispered in unison. Vikki pulled herself through the window and dropped lightly to the ground. Don scrambled after her, pausing only to close the window and shutters on their old life forever.

Colette sighed and leaned against her children's bedroom door where she had been listening.

"Goddess…please protect my children." Colette closed her eyes and prayed with all her might. "Please…don't let them get hurt…especially by their father."

* * *

Mitsukai sat on her bed crossed legged with her eyes closed, meditating. She focused her mind on her task, discarding all stray thought. She let the silence and the magnitude of what this night meant fill her and clung fiercely to the goal and the hope she had in mind. She could do this. So much depended on it, she didn't have a choice. The parents thought they knew best, thought they had to remake the Eternal sword. She knew they were wrong. They didn't have to remake it…they had to find its master. The master who made a promise to his little sister, a promise she'd hold him to.

Midnight. Suki's eyes sprang open and she got to her feet, her bag strapped firmly to her back. It was time. She knew her parents weren't asleep, but she could not delay. She had to find a way out.

She stared out of her window, scanning the trees. She knew Don and Vikki were out there. She had seen Jon steal the weapons. Akira and Hoshi were likely at the old ranch already. She had to move. Carefully she put one hand on the window.

"Did you really think you could get away with it?"

Suki spun around, her hand flying for the blade she didn't wear. Anna folded her arms and glared at her daughter.

"You think I don't know what you're planning?" Anna asked mildly, her voice so calm it was unnerving. "You are your father's daughter through and through. So determined to do everything your own way that you don't think about who you hurt in the process."

"You're different?" Suki challenged. "You have cowered in fear for 17 years, hoping this problem would go away through ignorance and a short leash. Well it didn't."

"You defied us!" Anna snapped.

"Wake up, Mother." Suki snarled. "We were children. It was part of growing up, doing the very things you told us not to. But as we grew older it stopped being a game. Everyone one of us felt the call to the sword and to the fight. Probably because of this stupid Cruxis Crystals that YOU all stuck us with." Suki punched the wall hard with her glowing hand. "But none of us felt the urge to abuse it. Not like Lloyd."

Anna gasped. "It…wasn't his fault."

"You don't know that," Suki replied. "No one does. But I am going to find out. If nothing else I am going to take down the thing threatening the world and the tree he fought so hard to protect."

"You'll have to get by me first." Anna said, planting her feet firmly. "Good luck."

Suki glared, hating her mother so much in that instant that it almost made her sick. It did make her sick. White hot fury raged through her, burning her insides. She wished for her sword, she wished for anything that she could use to rip into this woman who dared to block her path. Her hands began to burn, especially her right one that carried her curse. Violence consumed her and she embraced it, prepared to fight her own mother to the death if she had to. She started forward, hands curling into fists, prepared to fight her way out. Anna backed up, raising her own, not noticing the shift in the air, the darkness of Mitsukai's aura running rampant.

"NO!"

Kratos dove between his wife and daughter. He shoved Anna back into the hall and rounded on his daughter, gripping his sword hilt, hopping he wouldn't have to draw it. "Mitsukai, stop!" he said. "Fight it. You must."

"Move," Mitsukai said in such a cold voice that Anna stopped fighting Kratos. Instead she squinted, trying to get a fix on her daughter's mana signature…only to find that it was warped, almost like something else was riding it. Much like how hers had been when it was stuck between Ada and Anna, fighting to become whole and to complete the Cruxis Crystal she unknowingly had stilled carried.

"No," Kratos said. "No, I won't. Mitsukai, you have to be calm now…and you have to be very, very brave."

Mitsukai faltered. He was speaking to her like he did when she was a child. Back when the world made sense. Back when she couldn't know the horrors in store and couldn't grasp the concept of the life-or-death mission she now had to face. This was her father. He had never led her wrong.

"Dad?" she whispered, feeling the rage leave her all at once, leaving behind only the burning in her right hand.

Kratos darted forward and very quickly hugged his daughter tight before shoving her towards the open window.

"Time is shorter than we think. Go to the tree. Find…whatever it is and stop it. Go!"

Suki was taken aback. Her father's eyes were actually fearful for the first time in her life. "Why?"

"Something grabbed her aura…" Anan muttered. "The Cruxis Crystal is becoming clearer."

"Mom? What are you talking about?" Suki asked.

"There is no time," Kratos said. "I didn't sense it before now and I am sorry. You have to go before it's too late."

"But—!"

"GO!" Kratos yelled. "We'll find you soon, I promise."

Suki gulped and met her father's eyes. A thousand things reflected there and Suki could not make heads or tails of it. But she trusted her father, more than just about anyone else. She nodded once and leaped out the window. She hit the roof, rolled forward and nimbly scaled down the drain pipe. She hit the ground running. Ahead of her, in the graveyard, Don emerged from the trees, Vikki right behind him.

"Suki what's wrong?" he asked. "I heard shouting."

Suki skidded to a halt, panting. "No time. Dad said…something's up. We have to get moving, now. He said we have to find Lloyd or whatever it is at the tree."

Don knew better than to question Suki. "Let's go then." He turned.

"Wait," Suki said, holding up her hand. A glimmer had caught the corner of her eye and she turned toward it. It was moonlight, shining off of the rippling blue and red blade that adorned Lloyd's empty grave. She paused, not sure what compelled her to do so. Then she marched forward and wrapped her hand around the red one, Flamberge, and ripped it from the ground.

Don stared at her, shocked. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Suki said slowly staring at the lava-like blade. "but it feels right."

Don stared a moment more before his mouth settled into a firm line. He ran up and seized the Vorpal sword pulling it free and fastening it to his own belt.

"Let's go he said," marching off into the woods, Suki right behind him.

* * *

"The darkness" Anna mumbled. "The darkness radiating from the world tree…it..got her."

"Anna," Kratos said, gripping both of her hands.

"How?"

"Focus!" Kratos pleaded. "Please, Anna."

Anna looked up at her husband without really seeing him. She was miles away, back to a day 17 years ago. She had just argued with Origin and fought her way back to her son. They were running for their lives through the Iselia Ranch when out of nowhere two Desians appeared and attacked Colette and Lloyd, only to brought down by Anna's sword. But then...everything went wrong. Anna shuddered, remembering..._  
_  
What's happening?_The sword descended and sunk into the Desian's flesh, satisfaction tearing through her. Inside, her blood was heating up…really heating up…pain ripping through her as she hacked him a third time._

"Ada!"_ Lloyd shouted. _"He's dead. Stop!"

_But Anna couldn't stop. Her arm was on fire with pain again, worse than it had been in the Tower of Mana._

"Damnit…"_ she cursed trying to keep her sword above her head, struggling as her hand felt as though it was being torn to ribbons. _"DAMNIT!"

She remembered it so vividly...the rage, the anger, the poisonous hate welling up, driving her to the point of insanity...the point where she could dismember another human being...the point of no return.

The point where a child would attack her mother...

"Mitsukai…" Anna breathed. She looked at Kratos. "It's happening isn't it? The Cruxis Crystals are going to emerge."

Kratos nodded. "We have no choice and no time to wait. The children can get to the tree and find out if Lloyd lives. It's more dangerous but they will need him immediately. We have to go to Origin's seal. Now."

* * *

"Bacon?" Alicia asked, raising one eyebrow.

Jon grinned. "Genius, right? I used it to grease the hinges so that they wouldn't squeak while I was breaking into all the houses."

"You forgot the smell, you idiot," Bryant said, wiping the smile off of Jon's face as Xander and Senshi cracked up.

"Oh shut up," Jon snapped at his brother's. "Mom and I were right in the room with you and you never even saw us!"

"I almost did," Senshi said, offended. "You all have way more training than me though."

"Oh who cares about ninja skills," Xander said, putting his hands behind his head as he walked. "Swords are were the real power is."

"He's only saying that because his mother's not around," Bryant remarked monotonously.

"Excuse me," Alicia said harshly turning to face the boys behind her. "But silence is essential to stealth, is it not?"

"Yes," Jon replied. "that's what mom always says, anyhow."

"Then how is it that three ninja trained individuals find it acceptable to make a great deal of noise during what is supposed to be a stealthy get away?" Alicia asked.

Jon, Xander and Senshi all shut up.

"Better," Alicia observed.

"Who died and made you Origin?" Bryant growled.

"Dad told us to take care of each other," Alicia said seriously. "Sheena told Jon and his brothers to take care of each other. If you all won't take that seriously, I will."

That really shut them all up as they ran fingers over the weapons that they each received from their parents. It was strange to think that what they had assumed would be a frantic escape from their parents had instead been helped along by one parent from each family. They couldn't help but wonder if their Sylvarant family had as much help escaping as they did.

"Let's get moving," Jon said quietly. "We still gotta get to the cost before we risk teleporting. That's another hour's walk. Suki will kill us if we're late."

"Always about Suki," Xander said. "Why don't you just kiss her and get it over with?"

"I don't want to hear it," Jon whispered back, glaring furiously. "I'll kiss Suki the same day you confess your undying love for Akira." The twins glared at each other.

"They've got it bad," Senshi whispered to Bryant. "I feel sorry for them."

"I feel sorry for the girls," Bryant replied.

"I feel sorry for me," Alicia snapped at all of them. "Now shut up!"

* * *

"What the hell happened to you?" Akira said as Don, Vikki, And Suki ran into the clearing next to the Ranch, dirty, scratched, and much the worse for wear from their frantic run through the woods.

"We…don't…know," Don panted. "She just…took off!" he pointed at Suki, trying to look angry while being completely out of breath.

Suki leaned over, bracing her hands on her knees and gasping as much air as she could into her starved lungs. She couldn't place what had come over her: the intense anger that had swept her up, the fear in her father's eyes, the agony in her hand, stealing her brother's sword that had been gifted to him by their father.

"Something's…wrong," Hoshi said, frowning at Mitsukai. "You're mana signature is warped. Like something took a bite out of it."

"We heard shouting," Vikki said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Then Suki came flying out the window and she and Don stole the Material Blade."

"So the parents know?" Akira said, her voice rising in panic. "Oh no…we're done for! Mom is going to kill us and then kill Dad when she finds out he helped us!"

"What?" chorused the twins, shocked.

Akira held out her sword, shaking slightly. "Dad gave me this."

"And he gave me this," Hoshi added pointing to his mother's staff. "He said…be safe."

"He caught me sneaking out," Akira explained. "I thought he'd be mad, but he just said that I was stubborn. That we all were and that he won't delay the rest of the parents, but that he won't stop us either. Then he said something strange."

"What?" Suki asked, straightening up. Yuan and Kratos had very similar thought processes. If Kratos was acting weird then like as not Yuan would be too. Suki supposed that it was a product of their millennia long friendship/rivalry, but maybe the two oldest living angels could see what the others could not.

"He said we don't have much time," Akira replied. "He also said…'I know you think you know everything…but you don't. No one does. Please be open to the things you don't know.'"

"Practical, but random," Hoshi observed.

"Dad said the same thing," Suki said. "He said 'Time is shorter than we think. Go to the tree. Find…whatever it is and stop it.'" Suki frowned. "He also apologized that he didn't sense something before. And Mom muttered about the…Cruxis Crystal…." Suki gasped remembering the pain in her hand. She ripped off her glove as the others crowded around her.

Her hand was covered by thin streaks of dried blood. The Cruxis Crystal embedded there continued to glow, still faintly, but more vividly than any of the others. However, the truly terrifying part was the skin around the crystal.

"You tore it open," Akira said, gripping Suki's hand. "Part of the Crystal is now on the surface." She dropped Suki's hand and stared at her sickly. "The final stages…if they are happening to you…we aren't far behind."

Suki rubbed the spot on her hand tenderly, thinking. She was risking her life on this journey, but now the reality of the fact was harshly clear. It would take one more large battle, one more huge emotional upheaval to have that crystal erupt and they still didn't have what they needed to stop it from killing her. She had a choice. Stay low, stay safe, hope the cure was found…or go down swinging.

"Hoshi," Suki said decidedly. "Give me a bandage," Hoshi complied and Suki wrapped it firmly around her hand and slid her fingerless glove back on.

"But you have to go home!" Don cried. "The risk is too great."

"No," Suki said. "I won't just sit around and pray that we find the materials to cure this." She glared at her nephew. "I go with you. Yuan and Kratos said we are nearly out of time. If I know them, they'll head for the path that takes them to the Eternal Sword."

"But you know what will happen," Don argued. "You know how these things are made: they expose the host to danger and cause them to keep their adrenaline running high. They put them in emotional turmoil. They also require the host to use large amounts of mana. If you keep going, the crystal will eat you alive."

"We all run that risk," Vikki pointed out.

"But Mitsukai is somehow father along," Akira observed. "Likely due to emotions running high." Akira observed her, one hand cupping her mouth and chin, her eyes taking on a faint glow of mania that they often saw in Raine's eyes when she encountered a ruin. "It's actually very intriguing."

Suki glared. "Don't you dare go mad scientist on me," she warned Akira. "I will brain you if you try to take a sample of my blood again."

Akira shook off her mother's curse. "That was one time," she said haughtily. "I am not my mother." Hoshi snorted.

"We're wasting time." Suki adjusted her backpack and checked the fit of the sword at her hip. "We go on. I go on. We have no choice now."

They were all silent for a moment, weighing the severity of their problems and each wondering if their course of action was wise. They all looked at each other, communicating without words as only the closest of friends and family could.

"We go on," Vikki agreed, shouldering her pack and nodding at her aunt.

"On," Hoshi agreed.

"On," Akira repeated. They all looked at Don.

Don glared at Suki. "He's my father, you know," he said angrily. "I am just as determined as you are to find out. And I won't let you kill yourself in the attempt." He walked up to Suki, somehow towering over her even though he was only an inch taller. "If this get worse...I'll drag you home myself. Go it?"

Suki's eye iced over, but Don wasn't put off by her Kratos look. "Fine," she grumbled. Don nodded and walked off, the others hesitating before following.

"You'll try," Suki growled to herself.

* * *

He raised his head to the full moon, allowing the beams to wash across his hidden face, seeing their light, but not feeling it. Never feelings it. The World Tree towered over him, shielding him, protecting him, offering him one last bit of sanity in his chaotic mind. Gently he ran a cloth down his blade swaying slightly from side to side as though listening to a melody that he alone could here. A branch creaked in the night and he was up like a shot, eyes searching the darkness.

"You shall not pass!"

* * *

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	9. To Protect Someone Important

This took awhile, but what else is new? Thank you to my lovely reviewers! I made this extra long so as to be worth the wait. Next chapter is when everything comes to a head. Fear not On with the show!

Disclaimer: Own things I do not.

Quote:_ Don't ask me!" Ada cried. "Please don't ask me, my resolve to watch you leave is too fragile, my heart hurting too much." She put her hands on his shoulders. "Hurt him, Kratos. Hurt Lloyd, to save him…and save us all." Kratos's heart was pounding. She was much to close. If she came any closer…Suddenly his hand was at her back, his fingers lifting her chin. She gasped just before their lips met. Mirror Image Ch . 5_

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BR

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The newly risen sun did nothing to quench the blaze of heat that radiated off the Triet desert. Suki tugged at her shirt collar for the hundredth time, grimacing as she felt the sweat soaked dampness of it. It was barely 8 in the morning and it was already sweltering. She looked around to see her companions looking a heat worn and weary as she. She was gripped by the streak of foolishness that accompanied this journey and for the first time doubted her own convictions.

For starters, they had dressed for stealth the night before and for the night's cold. That being said, they were ill dressed for a trek across the dessert. Suki was wearing a pair of her mother's chain mail woven black pants, black boots, a dark purple sleeveless shirt with a collar, and forearm high gloves, similar to what her father wore. She had long since removed the gloves, but could do nothing about the heavy black pants and boots. Akira was dressed in a similar shirt to Suki's, but hers was red, tight fitting, and made to look like a corset top. Her black pants stopped just above her knees and she wore short black boots. She would have been cooler than her comrades if she didn't have to carry the heavy black cloak she had stolen from her father. Vikki was more sensible, dressed in a loose, flowy green button up over black pants with matching green boots. Hoshiko suffered right behind her though, weighed down by a knee length dark blue tunic, and baggy black cargo pants with dark blue boots.

Still…no one had as much reason to complain as Don, who was lagging quite a ways behind them. Don, in a moment of carelessness, had donned (haha) his father's outfit minus the suspenders and white scarves. He had ripped off the red jacket and gloves as the sun climbed higher, but could do little else. He vowed to buy a new outfit in Triet…until Suki reminded him that they couldn't risk stopping in Triet.

That was the other thing—Triet was too close to home to offer them shelter. Someone would recognize them for sure. To cap it off, they had to take a path directly through the heat of the desert to avoid the Renegade base. This meant cover a several miles of open desert with only the water and food they had managed to sneak away with.

"There," Hoshi said, pointing ahead of them where mountains started to rise. "Once we get to the Ossa trail, we can teleport."

"You sure?" Don and Vikki asked in unison.

"Yes, Akira answered. "But only as far as Luin since there are so many of us. It's another 4 hour walk from there. We'll only just make it."

"Of course," Suki growled. "Who's brilliant idea was this anyway?" "

"Yours," grumbled the others glaring back at her.

* * *

The Tethe'allans of their little group fared much better since they had less ground to cover. The problem wasn't ground at all in fact, nor were they in danger of running out of water. They had too much water. Although the Wilder boys were very skilled at teleportation, they could only cover so much distance. As it was, they could not jump straight to the Otherworldly Gate, but had to stop in Altamira first to rest. As a result they had just barely made it through the portal moments before the sun began to rise.

Jon picked himself up off the ground as the portal closed behind him. He'd had have few bruises where he hit the ground, but he'd live. Luckily, the ninja outfits he and his brothers wore absorbed most of the impact. Alicia and Bryant were a bit more beat up unfortunately. Alicia wore a black, short sleeved shirt under a denim over all skirt with black leggings tucked into her knee high boots. Bryant wore a brown T-shirt and boots and pants made out of denim as well. They had assorted scrapes down their arms, which Xander hastened to heal.

"We've landed just outside of Palmacosta," Senshi observed. "That gives us six hours to get across the plains to Lake Umacy."

"There's no way," Bryant said.

"If you three can manage one more jump to Luin, we'll make it." Alicia said, hefting her axe.

'We don't really have a choice," Xander groaned. "Who's brilliant idea was this anyway?"

"Suki's," replied the rest of the group.

* * *

_Chaos is a funny thing. It works in many ways. Sometimes it builds slowly over time like a volcano taking all of its victims by surprise. Other times you see it coming like a freight train...but you're tied to the tracks and are unable to move. You can only stand there and watch as it comes screaming down at you to crush you into dust._

_We saw the signs. We knew this day would come. Our children were left in harm's way and harm came calling. But you must understand, beloved journal, that we thought we had no options. When Lloyd left in his haze of blood, we were for the first time afraid of what a life at the end of the sword could lead to. And when Mitsukai was born and we felt the subtle difference in her mana signature, we realize that the effects of the Cruxis Crystal could be transferred from parent to child. How could we have known before? It wasn't like anyone had ever bred before while equipped with one. Just Kratos. Lloyd's exsphere evolved, but he had one equipped. We assumed it responded to Kratos's warped genes._

_We never would have guessed that by having children we birthed a new round of hosts. It was so obvious...but so unimaginable. And now we are out of time. They defied us, but I suppose we knew they would. Now, the darkness we have felt radiating from the tree has grown too powerful to be ignored and our children are set on finding out what it is. We head to the seal of Origin, hoping against hope that he will forgive humanity's betrayal once more._

_I am afraid. Why do Kratos and Yuan insist that the children go to the tree? Is it because they believe my son lives? Do they think childhood can bring a corrupted soul back to normalcy? Is it a test?_

_I wrote 17 years ago that I was not afraid to bring a child into the world. I had no fear. Now...we are consumed by it._

_Anna Adalais Aurion._

With a sigh, Anna closed her journal. She was perched on the terrace railing just outside of Mitsukai's room, her wings fluttering as she kept her balance. The sky was lightening in the east, warning of the coming day. Somewhere out in the decreasing darkness was her daughter, her youngest child, going straight into the heart of danger. Anna wanted so badly to take off after her, but she had another task to complete. They had to go see Origin and find out once and for all what became of the old pact.

_Soon I will know. Soon I will find out what has become of my son. I just hope it is in time to save my daughter._

Kratos appeared at her side. Wordlessly he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Colette is returning to her home to gather her weapons and supplies." Kratos said. Colette had arrived shortly after the departure of Mitsukai and the others. She had blocked the door and threatened to attack Anna if she went after the children. "Yuan and Raine are coming," he said quietly. "Raine awoke this morning to find her children and her weapons gone. Apparently she suspected Yuan had helped them."

Anna looked at her husband. "Yuan knew first, didn't he?"

"So it would seem," Kratos said. "Apparently Raine's rage was a sight to behold."

Anna smiled weakly. "The others?"

"Sheena and Zelos are with Genis and Presea," Kratos said. "Apparently someone used bacon to grease the door hinges of the woodshed and Presea suspected one of the Wilder twins."

"That'd be Jon," Anna said smiling more earnestly. "Such a silly boy."

"I will be accompanying you to Lake Umacy. Kratos finished. "Along with Zelos, Yuan, Raine, and Sheena. Although the children are too smart to head there for fear of being caught. Still we'll check. Genis, Presea, and Colette will make sure we have all we need before heading to Heimdall."

Anna nodded. "Kratos...do you think we will find the worst at Origin's seal?"

Kratos stared out into the sunrise. he prayed with every fiber of his being that his daughter was safe. He prayed they could get through this because he knew the answer to Anna's question.

"Yes," Kratos said. "I think we will find the worst."

* * *

"Wait," Suki said, flinging out an arm to stop

Don. "Do you hear something?" The group paused listening. For a moment all was silent, apart from normal forest sounds and the distant sounds of the lake nearby.

"I don't—"Akira began, but then broke off, her ears twitching as they picked up new sounds. "Footsteps."

"Sword," Don added. "Being unsheathed."

Suki signaled to the others grabbing her own hilt. She held up a finger and pointed at Hoshi and Akira, the two magic users. She pointed one to the far left and one to the far right and was happy to see they understood her order to remain out of sight in preparation for long range magic. Suki then signaled Vikki and Don to line up on either side of her, forming a triangle.

The footsteps were very close now, and there were definitely multiple foes approaching. They could tell by the heavy treads and the faint clicking of metal that it was not their friends. They waited, squinting through the trees.

Several men stepped into view. They were clothed in leather vests and pants with cheap metal plates sewn over the weak spots on their bodies. They were dirty, unkempt, their unsheathed blades scratched and nicked from heavy use. Their leader, who walked slightly ahead of them, held a curved sword stained with something that looked a lot like blood.

"Well boys," he said, grinning and revealing his rotten teeth. "What have we here?"

"Kids," replied one of his cronies, also grinning.

"Stupid kids," added the leader. "Coming way out here with no body to protect them."

"We don't need protecting," Suki said firmly. "We are just passing through. We mean no trouble to you."

"Hear that?" the leader asked. "They mean no trouble."

"Well the sure as heck found some!" one of the others cried causing the group to crack up with laughter.

Suki tightened her hand around her hilt. She knew these bandits would attack and she knew they would probably be a bit of a challenge. What she didn't know was whether or not she and her friends were up to the challenge. Sure, sparring with each other was tough since they rarely held back, but it was still just sparring. Even her match with Kratos was nothing more than practice, albeit more desperate. But this was real. This could results in wounds or even death.

"You're a right pretty little thing," the leader said, coming up to Suki. "I'd like to see what's under that shirt of yours."

"Try it and you die," Don growled, crouching low, ready to spring.

The leader laughed. "Big talk from a small man." He reached out to Suki with a grubby hand. "Come here, pretty girl. Let's see what you got."

It happened almost instantly. His hand closed around Suki's upper arm and a mere second later he was flying backwards, clutching his head where Suki's forehead had collided with it. She drew her sword as she silently thanked Jon for teaching her that trick. The leader howled in pain and his cronies charged Vikki and Don.

"Hoshi! Akira!" Suki shouted, slamming the hilt of her sword into the leader's shoulder, knocking him back.

"Eruption!"

"Ray!"

The two attack exploded from both sides, catching two of the bandits and flinging them away from the main fight. The leader quickly recovered and lunged at Suki. Suki parried his block relatively easily as Hoshi and Akira launched smaller attacks from the sidelines at vikki and Don's foes.

"You and your little friends picked the wrong day to come onto our territory," the leader grwoled as he slashed furiously at Suki.

"I should say the same to you," she said. "Beast!"

The leader barely dodged the attack before Suki was on him. She had him cold and unprepared...and she did something very stupid.

There was a gasp of pain from behind her followed by Vikki's shout. "Don!" Suki turned for a fraction of a second, distracted by the sight of a long gash down Don's arm. That second was all the leader needed.

Grinning triumphantly, he slammed his sword hilt into her stomach. Suki bent forward, winded and was seized by the neck before being slammed to the ground. She tried to get back up but he kicked her, hard in the ribs and stomach until she could do no more than curl into herself and gasp for air. Struggling to get up she looked up at the bandit, glaring ferociously.

"Too bad, little girl!" The bandit leader shouted, raising his sword.

"Suki!" Don shouted, shoving against his enemies, trying to break through and get to his aunt. He heard Akira and Hoshi dashing through the woods, but knew they wouldn't reach her in time.

Suki's eyes followed the curve of the bandit leader's sword as he raised it, grinning manically. She fought with all her strength to stand, but she wasn't quick enough and knew she wouldn't be able to dodge in time. What had started as a noble quest had quickly turned into a fool's errand that was going to cost her dearly. She'd never get to apologize to her mother, never get to save her friends. She'd never find out what really happened to her brother…

The leader swung his sword down and Suki met his eyes squarely, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear.

"NO!" shouted a familiar voice.

A seal zipped through the air and attached itself firmly to the leaders sword before exploding and flinging him back. A black blur dove over Suki and tackled the bandit. Suki jumped to her feet and retrieved her fallen blade, staring in amazement as Jon Wilder beat the ever loving crap out of the bandit leader.

Jon grabbed the bandit by his shirt and got to his feet. He picked the man up and flung him against a tree so hard they heard wood crack. Dimly, Suki was aware of the other bandits fleeing as Akira and Hoshi ran into sight followed by Xander, Senshi, Alicia, and Bryant. However, she was more focused on Jon, who had the leader by the throat and was laying into him more ferociously than anything Suki had ever seen.

"Jon!" Xander shouted. "What are you doing, man?"

"Suki…" Akira said squinting at Jon. "Something's…wrong."

Suki stiffened with shock as she realized what was going on. The rage, the hate, the violence…it was the same thing that happened to her last night when she faced down her mother. Something made Jon snap. She had to bring him out it before he killed the man. She darted forward as Jon drew his fist back again and grabbed his wrist. "Jon, stop!"

"Let go," Jon said, so coldly that for the first time Suki felt a prickle of fear.

"No," Suki said. "Let him go."

"He tried to kill you!" Jon screamed, whipping around to face her. He was almost unrecognizable, his face twisted, his eyes blazing. "He has to die for that."

"No," Suki said. "He doesn't. He has paid for it. You did it. You saved me." Suki tightened her hold on his wrist, digging her fingernails in, hoping the pain would snap him out of it. "Let him go, Jonathan. Please." She paused before adding, "For me."

Jon's glare settled on her red-brown eyes and for a moment she thought he was going to hit her. The group held their breath as the two looked at each other, waiting, ready to step in if necessary. Then Jon's face flickered. His eyes softened and lost the heat that had burned behind them. Slowly he released his hold on his captive and the man slumped to the ground, coughing and spitting out blood onto the dirt. Don raised his sword threateningly and the bandit fled.

Jon turned towards Suki, lowering his raised fist and grew pale as the consequence of his actions suddenly became clear. "Suki," he said, as though he just realized she was there. "What have I done?"

"Nothing I haven't done myself, Suki replied quietly.

Jon went limp for a moment and then, much to everyone's surprise, threw his arms around Suki and hugged her tight.

"I thought he was going to kill you," Jon whispered. "I couldn't let that happen. I just...snapped."

Suki didn't know what to say. She was having trouble focusing on anything at the moment other than the feel of Jon's arms around her. She patted Jon awkwardly on the back, unsure of how to respond. She supposed she could hug him back, but what if he didn't want her to? He was probably only hugging her because he was upset with himself and she was the closest thing to him. Still maybe returning the hug wouldn't be so bad.

Before she could make up her mind, Jon let go and took a step back. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly for a moment, avoiding Suki's eyes. Suki just stared, still processing what had happened.

Xander broke the tension. "Damn Jon, you could have least copped a feel while you had her caught off guard! Chicks dig that!"

WHAM!

"OW!"Xander howled, rubbing his forehead where Akira had hit him. "Not the face! Not my beautiful face!"

"We do not like that," Akira growled. "Not one bit."

"It's true," Vikki said.

"We don't." Alicia added.

"I am so misunderstood," Xander wailed.

"No you're just an idiot," Hoshi corrected He grabbed a bandage out of the medical kit and approached Jon. "Jon, take of your right glove."

"Why?" Jon asked.

"Because hat just happened to you was a result of the Cruxis Crystal acting up in a moment of extreme tension," Hoshi said. "Your mana ran wild as did the Crystal. It was outside your control."

Jon nodded, looking relieved. "But why do you need to bandage my hand?"

Hoshi looked at Suki, who nodded. "Because if Suki is any indication, your Crystal has broken the surface of your skin."

Jon looked from Hoshi to Suki horrorstruck. He pulled his glove off and gasped. "It hurts," he said, surprised. "It's bleeding. How did I not notice?"

"Mom always said battle fever is a good thing," Suki replied, rubbing her own wound and thinking of her mother. "It stops you from feeling the pain right away."

Jon stared at her as Hoshi disinfected and wrapped the wound. "It's a good thing we all wore gloves, he remarked lightly, looking around at the group he indeed all sported fingerless gloves, except Akira who had elbow length fingered gloves.

"Best way to hide this…thing," Don remarked.

"I still want to know what Hoshi is talking about," Xander said. "What do you mean Jon and Suki's Crystal's have broken the surface?"

Suki sighed and launched into the full explanation of what happened when she left her house the night before. Don and Vikki added a few details about their escape and the others describe leaving their homes as well. Very quickly the children all came to one very interesting conclusion.

"We each had at least one parent that helped us," Alicia remarked quietly. "Or at the very least one that didn't stop us."

"We had two that flat out told us to go," Suki added. "And warned us. "'Time is short…'"

"So what do we do?" Vikki asked. "Obviously we need to go to the tree but this changes things," she said, pointing at Suki and Jon. "If you two are entering the final stages, the rest of aren't far behind. On a dangerous journey like this, it is very likely that we'll follow suit and minute now."

"What would you have us do, stop?" Xander retorted. "Go home and leave it all to our parents? After Kratos and Yuan told us to proceed? We can't. We have to go on."

"We agreed that anyone who encountered more symptoms would be sent home," Don pointed out, glancing sideways at Suki and Jon.

"Yeah, sending home our two best fighters is a brilliant plan," Senshi said sarcastically.

"Look!" Suki said loudly, cutting across the bickering. "We aren't going home and we aren't turning back! My dad told me what to do. I plan on doing it!" She glared at her nephew. "He's my brother," she added quietly.

"He's my father!" Don shouted. "Or maybe you forgot since you're so hung up on some stupid promise that bastard made you while wiping blood off his sword."

Suki lunged forward until she was right in Don's face. "He made me promise to take care of your ungrateful ass." Her voice was low and dangerous, Kratos's ice cold fury mixed with Anna's short fuse. "Maybe I shouldn't have bothered. I mean he didn't come back for a reason right? Probably because he knew his son would be a whiny little coward."

Don dove at Suki, wrapping his hands around her throat. They fell to the ground and rolled around shouting and ripping at each other, trying to tear each other apart.

"Stop them!" Akira shouted, grabbing for Don but missing. "Before the Cruxis Crystals react!"

Senshi grabbed Suki, but she twisted free. Alicia and Bryant waded into the fight but neither could grip on the struggling pair. Jon, Xander, and Hoshi managed to separate the two finally, but barely managed to keep them from each other as they struggled to continue the brawl.

"I hate you, Mitsukai!" Don shouted. "No one ever asked you to run our lives! No one worth listening to anyhow!"

"You're a selfish little bastard!" Suki roared back. "Angry at someone you never even met! You don't even know him! You're just afraid! COWARD!"

"STOP!"

There was great rush of wind and every single one of them were blasted back and knocked off their feet. Vikki stood between her brother and her aunt, breathing heavily, both hands outstretched as sweat rolled down her face.

"Vik—?" Don began.

"Shut up."

Don fell silent. It was one thing to hear Kratos's voice come out of Mitsukai's mouth; it was another to hear it from his twin. He had always heard say that they looked very like their grandfather, but Don had never seen it before...until now.

Vikki turned to look at Suki. "How dare you act like our father's abandonment doesn't concern us?" she asked quietly. She turned back towards her twin. "And how dare you try to turn our aunt, who's more our sister than our aunt, against a promise and a brother that she holds dear." Vikki took a deep breath and started to shake. "No…not yet…" she muttered, clenching her right hand. She glared back at her brother and Aunt. "We are a family! Don't you forget that!" She fell to her knees, screwing up her face like she was in pain and that's when Don realized what was happening.

"Get her glove off," he said, jumping to his feet and running up to his sister. "Vik," he said quietly, staring into the face that was the mirror image of his own. "I'm sorry. Ok? I won't fight anymore. Just hold on, don't let you mana run out of control."

"I'm trying," Vikki said through gritted teeth.

Don grabbed her good hand. "Hey, I'm here. You and me, that's the way it's always been right? Sense and Sensibility, just like grandma says. If I'm not spazzing you shouldn't be." Vikki managed a smile as Hoshi carefully slid her glove off. He examined the Cruxis Crystal. It was flickering rapidly, but had not yet broken through.

"You're doing great Vikki," Hoshi said. "Keep calm."

"You try to keep calm when your whole body feels like it's on fire," Vikki said through gritted teeth.

Don frantically cast around for something to distract his sister. "Hey Vik. Remember that song grandma used to sing? You know, whenever we couldn't fall asleep or when we were scared? You remember? Think of that!"

Suki approached her niece and nephew and crouched down. She put her hand over the twins joined hands. "It's that one from when we were little? It was one of the weird ones she picked up on earth. Remember?" Suki smiled. "It was the only thing that ever shut Don up."

"Yeah," Vikki said, shaking less and smiling more.

"Sing it," Don urged Suki.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Suki snapped. Vikki shuddered again, fighting her mana.

"Someone better do something," Hoshi said. "I can't believe she's holding it off so you better do something to help her."

Suki sighed heavily. "If anyone ever mentions I did this, I'll make Mithos Yggdrasill seem like a caring, thoughtful man." Suki looked at her niece and began to sing, very quietly.

"End of October, the sleepy brown woods seem to nod down their heads to the winter," Suki smiled and exchanged a grin with Don before continuing. "Yellows and grays paint the sad skies today and I wonder when you're coming home. Woke up one morning, the wind through the windows reminded me winter was just round the bend. Somehow I just did not see it was coming. Took me by surprise again." Suki stopped, having only sung a very small portion of the song out of embarrassment. She glared at her friends. "Say something, I dare you."

Vikki laughed and immediately they could see her change. She stopped shaking and her body relaxed. Hoshi sighed in relief as the Cruxis Crystal calmed down and her mana signature went back to normal.

"Good job, sis," Do said, helping his twin to her feet.

"Thanks," she said grinning. "It probably helps that I have a better grip on my temper than the rest of you."

"Hey!" shouted Jon and Suki indignantly.

"Still…I almost lost it," Vikki said, shaking her head. "That makes three of us. In one day."

"And it will only get worse from here," Hoshi added.

"So what do we do?" Akira asked.

Suki picked up her sword and returned it to its sheathe. Adjusting the straps on her pack, she looked back at the group. "We either camp here for the night or press on to Hima. That's what we do."

"But Suki," Don protested.

"But nothing," Suki said. "Look, we don't have much time. Jon, Vikki, and I have proved that. My dad gave me instructions. I will follow them."

"Me too," Akira said. "I won't let my dad down."

"Double for me," Hoshi added.

"It seems to be the most logical course," Alicia admitted.

"I'm in," agreed Bryant and Senshi.

"Us too," said the Wilder boys.

"We go on, just like we said last night," Vikki said firmly.

Don glared at his aunt again. Right then, Suki knew that the carefree lazy boy she had once known was gone. Faced with the danger to his family and the unveiling of the mystery behind his father's absence, Don was becoming more and more hostile. It was understandable, but not at all what they needed right now. Suki knew that she wouldn't be able to expect him to blindly follow her forever. She had to talk to him. And she had to have faith that whatever reasons Lloyd had for disappearing would be good enough for the son he was never there for.

"Don?" Suki asked. "What do you want to do?"

Don looked around and recognized that the rest of the group had made up their minds. "We press on to Hima." He said. "No sense making camp since none of us can sleep."

"Not to mention that our parents are surely awake be now," Jon pointed out. "This will be the first place they look."

"Can we rest once we're down the road a bit though?" Hoshi, ever the healer asked. "I know we can't sleep, but we do still tire. We aren't angels yet after all and we've been going all night."

"All right," Suki said. "As long as we can get moving now."

"Wait," Jon said sliding the wingpack off of his back. "What do we do with these?"

Suki glanced over her shoulder at the pack for a moment. "Leave it."

"Leave it?" Jon said.

"Let's face it," Suki replied. "Our parents will come here first. Any minute now most likely. We left them unarmed."

"I thought that was the plan?" Xander said.

"Until they started helping us," Alicia countered.

"I think they'll head for Origin," Suki said. "The least we could do is give them a fighting chance."

Jon nodded and placed the pack at the base of a tree. Reaching into his pocket he pulled it a sutra and stuck it on to the pack. "Now only mom will be able to find it." He turned and grinned at Suki.

Suki smiled slowly back, feeling a slight flutter in her stomach that she couldn't explain. She shifted her sword and the bag on her back and set off into the woods, the others trailing in her wake.

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BR

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Oh, a little Jon and Suki development? Maybe? Review and find out next time!


	10. The Past is Present Again

This took forever. Stupid real life getting in the way! Anyway, hope it's worth the wait! Also, thank you so much to my loyal readers and reviewers!

On with the show!

Disclaimer: I think you know it by now.

Quote:_ "You overgrown butterfly!" Ada shouted at Yuan. Wait…Yuan thought. At those words, her mana signature flared, briefly becoming identical to Anna's, but as a look of confusion crossed Ada's face, it shifted again. Anna…hmm…what game is Origin playing? __"You're not her," Yuan said._ Mirror Image Ch. 6

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BR

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Kratos landed with a soft thump on the damp soil by Lake Umacy, Anna a beat behind him. Looking around they quickly ascertained that their children where nowhere to be found.

"Nothing?" Raine said as Yuan landed and set her on her feet.

"Nothing," Anna confirmed.

Zelos swore as he and Sheena set down. "Not only did they disobey us…and not only did you help," he said shooting a glare at his wife, "but they took our damn weapons."

"Guess now is not a good time to tell you I gave Xander your sword?" Sheena asked lightly.

"WHAT?!"

Raine glared at Yuan who carefully avoided her gaze. "I suppose that's what happened to my staff?"

"I know nothing," Yuan replied in his usual manner.

"Wait," Sheena said, turning her head sharply to the left. Squinting, she hurried over to the base of a tree and knelt down. "I see a trace of a guardian seal," she said to the others. "Hang on." She pulled out a sutra and stuck it on the ground, whispering a word the others could not hear. There was a small puff of smoke and a green wing pack appeared. Sheena opened it and sighed with relief.

"They're here," she said, walking over to the others. She reached into the bag and pulled out a staff, tossing it to Raine. "It's not our main sets, but it'll do."

Sheena sighed and examined the wing pack. "Jon took to the ninja arts so well." She looked up at Zelos with tears in her eyes. "But it wasn't me that taught him. It wasn't me that got to watch him grow as a person and as a warrior."

Zelos looked away, unwilling to admit that they may have been wrong.

"It's reassuring," Anna said abruptly. Everyone looked at her, puzzled. "It means that they can handle this. And considering what lies ahead…we need all the help we can get."

* * *

"Hima," Suki said, clearing the tress first and pointing in the distance. "We're here."

"Thank Origin," Xander groaned, slouching with exhaustion. Suki glared and he glared back. "What? We may not be able to sleep, but we still get tired. We've been going all night AND all day."

"A rest would be welcome," Alicia said. "It wouldn't be wise to press on into the night, especially with all the weird rumors in this area."

Suki nodded in agreement. "That's true. I suppose we do need a break." She rubbed her sword hilt thoughtfully for a moment. "There looks to be a small creek running through the woods over there," she said, pointing to a strip of trees at the base of the hill on which Hima set. "Let's set up camp there for the night."

The others agreed and they set off up the slope into the foot hills around Hima. The sun was beginning to set as they entered the trees again and made their way to the banks of the stream. Once there they unloaded their gear, sighing gratefully as they dropped their heavy burdens.

"Food?" Suki asked as they sat in a large circle.

"I have quite a few travel friendly ingredients here," Bryant said. "Dad made sure Alicia and I left with plenty of cooking supplies. We can add local vegetation to some of the recipes he's taught us."

"Do you know what to look for?" Xander asked skeptically. "Last thing we need is poison berry pie."

"Uncle Genis always made sure we could scavenge food in the wild," Akira said dryly.

"Mom taught us too," Senshi pointed out while Jon nodded. "Xander just never paid attention."

"Whatever," Xander said waving his hand. "At least I can fish. Neither of you can do that."

"OK!" Suki said loudly as Jon opened his mouth to reply. "Here's what we'll do. Don, get a fire going. Bryant, Alicia, and Akira, forage around and get some plants that are safe to eat. Xander, see if you can get us any fish. We can smoke them and eat off of them for a few days."

"We can get the tent set up," Senshi offered, gesturing to himself and Jon.

"Tent?" Suki asked, looking at the red-head.

"Tent," Jon confirmed. "Or tents. We managed to get a hold of two from home. They fold up nice and small, but they are pretty big. They can sleep about 4 adults each so I figure they'll hold all of us."

"Wow," Suki said, looking at the two Wilder boys. "I'm impressed you thought to bring that."

Jon grinned. "Can't have my lovely ladies laying in the dirt can I?"

Senshi looked at his brother quizzically. "I thought you said it was Mom's idea to grab tents?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "Fine. You two set up the tents." She turned to Vikki and Hoshi. "Hoshi, how are our med supplies?"

"Pretty good actually," Hoshi said. "I lifted one of mom's kits so we should be set. I may gather some herbs too though."

"I can help," Vikki volunteered.

"You should rest,' Suki pointed out.

"So should you," Vikki retorted, hands on her hips.

Suki scowled. "Fine. Go."

"What are you going to do?" Jon asked as he and Senshi unrolled the tents.

"Gotta check the maps and plan our route," Suki said, reaching into her pack and pulling out the map she had 'borrowed' from her mother's supplies.

"Ever the leader," Jon teased, turning his back on Suki and getting to work.

* * *

The sun filtered through the dense trees of the Ymir forest as the heroes of regeneration wound their way through the maze like woods. Birds sang cheerfully as the clear blue sky peeked through the dense canopy of leaves, warming the air. But their journey was far from light and their faces were grim. After 15 years of denial they were approaching the seal of Origin, afraid to find out what really became of Lloyd and the eternal sword.

Anna walked slowly behind the rest escorted by a concerned Kratos. Every so often she would shake her head violently, her eyes scrunched shut. The others were worried, but pressed on through the dense foliage.

For her part, Anna was overwhelmed by the memories of the last encounter they had in this forest. That terrible day where son turned on father and the fate of everything hung in the balance.

_Is there no other way?_

"_Lloyd won't lose. Lloyd bears the weight of all the lives that you and Cruxis sacrificed."_

_Are you still thinking like that?_

"_Don't underestimate Lloyd. He didn't run. He didn't give up. By that alone, he's already beat you. I believe in him."_

_You'll die if you fight me with any doubt left in your heart._

"_You are about to witness something amazing: the sight of your own son surpassing you."_

_So that's your way._

_"Lloyd possesses more strength than you imagine. He's not the same Lloyd you knew back when you were with us. But you already know that, don't you?"_

_Guys, I've got this._

"_This guy's really stubborn, simple minded, and tough as nails. So he's more than a match for you by himself._

_You're going to fight alone?_

_"Lloyd is not alone. We are always with him. Even if we do not take up our weapons, we fight...alongside him."_

_I'm not going to hold back this time._

_You and Lloyd most certainly should duel one-on-one. …Is that not the closure you desired? You are…even less capable than I am at expressing your feelings._

_I know. I won't either._

"_NO!"_

Anna shook her head again, trying to banish the memories. It was no use. They were too ingrained. Not only was it some of the most vivid memories of her life, but she had all but memorized the blasted video game before her soul got sucked back into Symphonia. Life's little tricks.

"You ok?" Kratos asked softly.

"I keep having flashbacks," Anna admitted. "I keep hearing the words and seeing the scenes played out like someone's taped a movie screen to my mind's eye. Very annoying."

"You didn't seem to mind it 17 years ago," Sheena pointed out. "Not when you ran around quoting all of us like some overeager mind reader."

"Overeager?" Anna said, glaring over her shoulder at her friend. "Says the woman who followed everyone around announcing that she was going to kill the Chosen!" Anna spun around and raised her hand palm out to Sheena and said in a mocking voice full of bravado, "Is the Chosen of Mana among you?!"

Sheena blushed. "Hey…I didn't have a choice. I had a job to do."

"I'm just glad you didn't really kill me and we ended up being such good friends," Colette chirped happily.

"I wish you had been assigned to take out the other Chosen of Mana," Yuan said loftily, ducking Sheena's slap.

"Hey you were the one using me to spy on these guys," Zelos painted out. "Where would you have been if Sheena had killed me?"

"Well Mithos probably wouldn't have mana'd me in the face when I kidnapped Kratos," Yuan pointed out.

"Nobody likes me," Zelos grumped.

"Zelos, we wouldn't have put up with you for this long if we didn't at least tolerate you," Sheena assured him while the others nodded.

"Aw thanks babe," he said. Then he thought for a moment. "Hey wait, you're my wife. You should love me, not tolerate me!"

Sheena grinned.

"We're nearly there," observed Presea.

Anna swallowed hard as the trees began to thin and the sunlight grew brighter. They stepped into the clearing they knew so well, the meeting point of so many webs that fate had cast. The cold stone seal marking the spot where Origin dwelled beckoned menacingly, daring them to face their fears and find out what really happened.

"Are you ready?" Kratos asked Sheena. The summoner nodded and stepped up beside Kratos. The group waited with bated breath as they approached the seal. So much hinged on this: if the vow held, then Lloyd was in trouble. If the vow did not, he was gone or had betrayed them. Origin would not forgive so easily. Not this time.

"The source of heaven, earth, and everything in between, the ruler of all," Sheena announced, voice shaking slightly. "I summon thee...come, Origin!"

The mana in the air surged quickly, almost violently.

"What the—?" Genis shouted as the ground began to rumble below their feet.

There was a high pitched scream from behind them. Everyone turned to see Anna on her knees, hands clapped over her head, screaming as though she was being tortured by something she alone could see.

"Anna!" Kratos yelled running towards her.

"STOP!" Anna shouted. "GET BACK!"

Anna's brain was on fire. An inhuman roar tore at her ears, causing pain to race through her entire body. Her vision washed out in a haze of white as Kratos raced towards her, despite her warnings. She knew what this was, what the sound was and what the feeling was. She had encountered it once before, when she had died the second time. She had fought to find a way back to Symphonia then, but she had to get though Origin first.

Looks like she would have to again.

The others stared in horror as the mana in the air spiked. At that very moment, Anna vanished and Kratos's hand closed on empty air. Staring wildly around, he shouted her name. But she was gone.

* * *

"Ok here's the plan," Suki said as everyone gathered around the fire. They had finished eating a surprisingly good curry that Bryant had thrown together and were feeling well rested and prepared. So far everyone still had their appetites and could still feel hot and cold, as proved earlier by Don's very loud swearing when he fell into and smothered the fire he had just managed to start. Now they felt encouraged, despite Suki and Jon's predicament, and were ready for the next phase of their plan.

"We avoid Hima completely," Suki said. "It may be overly cautious, but I don't want to risk running into our parents so we avoid all towns." She traced a road with her finger tip. "I want to conserve energy and mana so we won't do any teleporting. We'll follow the road straight on to the woods surrounding the tree." She tapped the image marking the World Tree. "We should be there in a day's time, two at the most. We need to avoid any monsters or bandits."

"Which we probably won't be able to avoid," Don said.

"True," Suki said. "Once we enter the woods is when the real danger begins. Everyone who has entered that wood has never come out again. It's also the source of the dark aura spreading out across the land."

"With our mana going crazy because of the Cruxis Crystals, we may be affected by the mana radiating from the tree," Hoshi said. "And I doubt even Vikki could fight off the effects this time."

"So when we enter the woods…" Alicia said slowly. "We may not come back out. And if we do, we may not come out unscathed."

"We'll come back out," Suki replied firmly, "but we have to destroy whatever it is that is corrupting the mana coming from the World Tree." Suki paused. "Or at least stop it."

"And if it isn't Lloyd?" Don asked harshly. "Then what? We are left with no Eternal Sword and no cure."

"We will have at least saved the Tree," Suki pointed out. "Our parents are dealing with Origin now. We'll have to trust that they can find a way to get the Eternal Sword."

"Well if anyone could talk a summon spirit around, it would be your mom," Bryant said to Suki.

"I hope you're right," Suki said. "In any case, that's our road." She rolled up the map. "I know we can't sleep, but we need a solid rest. We start at dawn tomorrow." She pointed at the tents. "I don't care how we divvy them up-just keep Xander and Akira apart."

"Hey!" shouted the two teens indignantly.

"We'll rotate being on watch by the hour," Suki said ignoring them. "I'll go first, then Akira and Hoshi, Don and Vikki, Alicia and Bryant, Xander and Senshi, Jon and I until dawn."

The group nodded and split off, heading into the tents as Suki settled some distance away near the trees, senses alert.

"So are we not going to talk about what happened," Jon said from behind her. Suki turned around and looked at him, noting the uncharacteristically serious look on his face. He walked up beside her and sat down, staring off into the trees. Suki remained silent, thinking, trying to guess what he could be talking about. Was it the Cruxis Crystals? Was it the fact that they had both turned into bloodthirsty monsters? Was it how he tried to tear a man limb from limb with his bare hands because she was in danger? Was it the way he hugged her like he thought she was going to disappear any second?

"What do we have to talk about?" Suki asked quietly.

"You know what," Jon said. "Don't give me that."

"What do you want me to say, Jon?" Suki asked him, glancing sideways at him.

"I want you to tell me that I wasn't stupid," Jon said. "That hugging you wasn't a mistake."

Suki felt her face began to heat up. She hardly knew what to think. She had known Jon her entire life. He was very like Zelos, flirting with anything that moved, including herself, but he never made any serious moves on any girl. Unlike his brother, who not only made the moves on several girls but was so obviously torturing Akira into loving him, Jon was more content to be with her in a friendly way. He passed on girls he knew were into him in favor of honing his skills. If Suki really thought about it, he was also one of the few in their group who never really doubted her theories, jokes aside.

"I'm…not angry that you hugged me," Suki said finally.

Jon laughed hollowly. "Praise indeed."

Suki elbowed him. "I'm just surprised is all. I mean…where did this all come from so suddenly? One minute we're joking around and learning to fight in secret, acting no different than we usually do and now you're telling me that you…"

Jon shrugged. "I don't know. The last few days have been so hectic. Seeing you stand up to the parents, resolving to go after Lloyd while risking life and limb. Suddenly I'm looking at you and not really seeing the same person I grew up with. Now I see…well…a girl."

"I've always been a girl," Suki reminded him.

"Well yeah but…not one I ever thought I'd want to…hug." Jon rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "This is coming out all wrong."

Suki had to laugh. "Where are your smooth moves now?" she asked, teasing him.

"I guess they vanished when I saw that you were about to die…"Jon said seriously, which immediately sobered Suki up.

"Jon," Suki said slowly. "I don't know how I feel about all of this. It's too much to think about." She shook her head. "We need to focus on our goal and try to get ourselves and our families out alive." She looked into his violet eyes. "I can't deal with this right now."

Jon stared at her for a moment. "Just tell me if it was a mistake Suki. Just tell me that."

Suki looked at her friend, his eyes boring into her own and felt…confusion. She wasn't sure what she felt for Jon, it was all so strange. She remembered how it felt when he held her. It made her feel both happy and scared. So much had happened to them, how could she trust that his feelings were real and not the byproduct of the drama and danger they both faced?

Suki sighed. "I think it might have been a mistake Jon. Maybe it won't be someday, but at the moment…I don't think it's meant to be."

Jon looked at her as though she had slapped him; such was the hurt in his eyes. He looked away, fist clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white. Abruptly he stood and towered over Suki, glaring down at her.

"You're so full of shit, Aurion," he said coldly. With that he turned on his heel and stormed away.

Suki stared back out into the woods, hands shaking for a moment before she pulled herself together. _Concentrate on the goal. Get through this and find the answers. Then you can sort the rest out._

* * *

Anna fell to her knees, panting. She knew she had to look up, she knew she had to face what was before her but she didn't want to. None of her dealings with this particular summon spirit had been pleasant and if he pulled her from Symphonia, she knew it had to be bad.

Steeling herself, she looked up. Origin stood over her, two of his arms crossed over his chest as usual while the others hung at his side, hands curled into fists. His rainbow colored legs hovered a few inches above the ground as he fixed her with a vicious look.

Anna laughed nervously. "Hey Origin. Long time no see."

"Why have you come?" Origin spat, causing her to wince at the sound of his unearthly voice. "Why have any of you come?"

"Oh you know," Anna said, remaining falsely cheerful. "We were out strolling in the Ymir forest and thought, what's our buddy Origin up to these days? So I decided to drop in."

"Mortals have far too much nerve and an excess of idiocy," Origin replied.

Anna grinned through her stress and fear. "You know you missed me."

"You?" Origin said venomously. "You who have violated the pact?"

Anna's smile vanished as pure dread flooded her. "So it's true?"

Origin looked at her skeptically. "Do you not know?"

Anna locked eyes with Origin. "My son vanished 15 years ago after to killing innocent people…" she said firmly, ignoring the tear that slipped down her cheek. "Including our dear friend. Now our children are in danger and something stalks the World Tree, corrupting its mana. We hope it to be Ratatosk. We fear that it is Lloyd. And our children have left us to find out which while Cruxis Crystals fight their way out of their bodies." She glared and struggled to her feet. "I am a mother who risks losing both of her children. Do not toy with me, Origin."

"Had you stayed in the other realm, you would not be in this situation."

"Had you stopped Mithos, none of us would be here," Anna countered angrily.

Origin's glared deepened. "I am bound by the laws of the pact."

"Laws can be re-written."

"You know nothing," Origin boomed, his voice a stabbing pain in Anna's human ears. "These are the laws that govern our world, our very existence. They have been in place since the laws of time. You are a mere mortal. You cannot defy the laws of the universe."

"Don't give me that!" Anna yelled, getting to her feet. For some reason the aura of power that caused her pain when viewing Origin's in his home plane receded as anger rushed in. She wasn't sure why but she was sure of something. "I am so sick of people telling us they can't, we can't and citing a bunch of stupid rules to explain why. Nothing is certain, no rules are concrete. We defied the laws of nature and the universe to reunite the worlds. I defied every law of existence known to man. TWICE! Instead of telling me you can't, or I can't, or that I am just a little mortal, I wouldn't understand, why don't you actually try to do something…or show us the way? Because you are wrong. I can do what must be done and I will rip YOUR world asunder if I have to."

And at once, Anna realized something very important. Something that her daughter had been trying to tell her. Something that her niece and nephew had been trying to tell her. What Colette had said, what Lloyd had once said. What she had even said.

They, she and the other heroes, had told the children they couldn't. They had boxed them in which a bunch of rules and when they fought back, their parents had all told them that they were too young to understand. But had Anna been so much older? Had Lloyd? Colette, Raine, Genis, Presea, Zelos, Sheena, and Regal—had they been so much older that they somehow knew better 17 years ago? Had Kratos and Yuan…ok, yes those two had been, but did they know better? They had let Mithos run amok for 4000 years.

We told them it couldn't be done." Anna said softly, more to herself than to Origin. "We were afraid so we told them it was against the rules. We told them they can't. We can't. Because we were afraid." Anna looked at Origin. "You're afraid too, aren't you? That's why you never interfered. You are afraid to trust humans again because Mithos betrayed you…and because I broke those laws of the universe you hold so dear. That's it, isn't it?"

"I fear nothing," Origin said, although his voice was less ferocious than it had been before.

Anna grinned. "Even summon spirits can be afraid, Rainbow." Origin glared again. "Sorry. But we still have to fix it."

"I am supposed to have faith in you after you failed me again?" Origin asked. "You swore you would protect this world so that everyone would live freely. You have done nothing."

"Well we're doing it now," Anna asked. "If you won't trust us, trust our children. They are bound by no vow and are still doing what we were too stupid to do. At least trust them."

Origin considered her for a moment. "I will not trust them. But I will observe. Perhaps they can cause a change in the Eternal Swordsman."

Anna felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. All of the air whooshed out of her lungs in a great rush and she staggered. "The Eternal Swordsman?" She muttered, her hand flying to the locket she wore around her neck, the scratch of Mithos's arrow still embedded in the soft gold. "Lloyd…He's alive?"

Origin nodded. "He lives…but there are repercussions to his actions the day he slew Mithos…and the day he burned your city to the ground. He is…not who he was. He was influenced by Ratatosk, who is dormant and sealed now, but the damage has been done." Origin looked at her. "It is…a complex situation.

"Tell me…what has happened?" Anna whispered. "What has happened to my son?"

* * *

BR

* * *

Review!


	11. Eruption

Life is hectic. Has anyone ever noticed that? But I am trying to stick to at least monthly updates. I'll do my best! Thank you to HyruleHearts1123 and Olirving for reviewing. (You guys rock!) Thanks to everyone who read and didn't review too! And now...on with the show!

Disclamier: Still don't own it.

Quote:_ Ada moved around to look straight into Colette's lifeless eyes. "Colette…Lloyd will save you. He loves you more than he knows. I hope it's enough to make up for what I've done." Mirror Image, Ch. 6_

* * *

BR

* * *

Vikki rested her palms on the chunk of ivy covered white marble, eyes closed as she used her extended hearing to listen to the sounds of the forest. The birds were silent, but present, revealed by a rustle of a feather or the scrape of a claw. The animals scurried in the underbrush, hiding, never coming out of their holes for more than a moment. Like they were afraid.

Don pulled himself up to the top of what had likely once been a set of stairs and looked out across the forest, what little he could see. The others climbed up behind him to stare at the sight before them. Looking down at his twin, he nudged that strange connection that only twins shared and Vikki looked up at him. He knew what she had observed. Something…someone was in this forest that shouldn't be.

Suki reached the top and stood next to her nephew, her face stony. "These…are the ruins of the Tower of Salvation." She shielded her eyes from the sun and stared at the break in the trees that was uncomfortably close to where they stood. The break interrupted by a large, albeit still young tree emerging at its very center.

Xander saw it to. "There," he said, pointing at the gap. "That clearing…that's it, isn't it?"

"Yggdrasill…" Jon breathed, echoing his own twin's thoughts. "The World Tree. We made it."

"Any sign of…" Akira broke off not sure how to continue.

"I don't see anything," Don said. "The animals in the surrounding area are silent though, can you hear it?"

"They are afraid," Vikki added.

"So…what do we do now?" Hoshi asked. Every looked at Suki.

Suki straightened and set her shoulders squarely. "We head for the tree. Now we will see. Now we will know."

They climbed down and set off slowly through the trees, their footsteps loud in the unnerving quiet. They were oddly jumpy; each twig snapping became an enemy waiting to pounce. They walked for about half an hour before the trees started to thin, unknowing gripping their weapons. As light peeked through directly ahead of them, Suki and Don stopped.

"I sense…" Akira said. "I sense something. It keeps changing…"

The scrape of a sword clearing it's sheathe made them all jump and draw their own w before they realized it was Suki. "Good thinking," she murmured. "Keep them out. Whatever is out there…it knows we are here."

"Are you sure?" Bryant whispered. "Then why hasn't it attacked?"

"It isn't sure if we are a threat…" Vikki and Don said in unison. Everyone looked at the pair of them, who looked equally startled at what they had just said.

"I don't know how we know that," Vikki said. "But we do."

"I'll take point. Jon, Vic, Don, you take my right and left and center. Diamond formation. Akira, Hoshi, hold back, long range. Bryant, Senshi, Xander and Alicia, form a line at our backs." They moved into formation quickly. "Let's go."

Slowly, Suki inched forward, the flame-like blade in her hand steady while inside she was anything but. She felt reassured with her friends at her back, she knew they outnumbered whatever was waiting in that clearing but…is anyone ever ready to charge in like this?

They broke through the trees and Suki was momentarily blinded by the sun as the clouds above shifted. Raising her hand she shaded her eyes and looked towards the base of the tree where a shadowy figure crouched in the shade. She watched with apprehension as the person crouched in the shadows got to his feet. She couldn't make out any of his features, just that he wore dark clothing and was clearly wearing a hooded cloak of some kind, judging by his shadow's shape. At least she assumed it was a man. Suki could feel his eye boring into them, boring into her.

"Wh—?" Her throat was dry as a bone. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Who are you?" She was relieved to hear that her voice didn't shake.

There was silence but for the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. For a moment she thought he hadn't heard her and started to repeat herself when a his voice echoed clearly across the clearing.

"Give me your name and I shall give you mine."

* * *

Anna slammed into the ground hard, her vision going gray despite her willingness to stay conscious.

"ANNA!"

Strong, callused hands lifted her up and brushed the dirt off of her face. She blinked rapidly, regaining her consciousness despite her body's best attempts to pass out into oblivion.

"Kratos…" she struggled to say. "He's alive…"

Kratos nearly dropped his wife, but managed to hold on to her. "How do you know?"

"She spoke with Origin," Yuan guessed. "Origin must know."

Anna gripped the front of Kratos's shirt to steady herself and slid out of his arms, balancing on her own two feet. "Suki…we have to get to Suki." As the world stopped spinning, things started to become clearer and the razor sharp blade of panic she had felt with Origin was returning full force.

"What's happened?" Kratos demanded. "What has happened to Lloyd?"

"He's alive," Anna said, taking a shaky step forward. Her legs held and she grabbed both of her hilt, wings fanning out behind her. "He lives and our children are in grave danger."

"Why?" Zelos asked, his face pale. "Lloyd wouldn't hurt them."

Anna shed the last bit of her wooziness and stood up straight. "We have no time!" she growled. "We have to beat them to the Tree."

"Even flying and with the Reihards, we are a nearly a day of travelling behind them," Raine pointed out "They are either almost there or, more likely, they are there now. We wouldn't make it."

"We have to try!" Anna insisted.

"I agree with Zelos," Genis said firmly. "Lloyd wouldn't hurt them. He wouldn't."

Anna turned and faced the group. "Lloyd wouldn't, if he was entirely himself. You are right in that."

"Then why—?" Sheena began.

Anna clenched the hand that held her Cruxis Crystal. "Mithos would."

A stunned silence fell after this pronouncement. Everyone stared at her in shock, except for Kratos and Yuan. She could see the wheels in their heads turning quickly and she knew they were piecing things together.

"The Cruxis Crystal…" Kratos muttered. "The shards…mixed with his. Of course."

"With Ratatosk's influence…" Yuan added.

"Are any of you making sense yet?" Zelos demanded.

"Mithos's exsphere shards were absorbed into Lloyd's exsphere when it was shattered."

Everyone looked at Colette, who had remained silent until now. Her eyes were wide and the sheen of unshed tears danced in their blue depths. In contrast her face was line with worry and moreover anger. She may not be the smartest person in the group, but even she could put the pieces together. "I'm right, aren't I? Mithos is possessing Lloyd. Just like he possessed me." She looked down at the ground battling the emotions surging through her: relief that Lloyd was alive, hurt that he had abandoned their family, worry for her children, and most of all fury…fury that Lloyd was being used, fury that he friends doubted their children even now, and most of all fury that Mithos was once again trying to destroy everything she held dear. It couldn't stand. She wouldn't let it. She looked back up at the group. "Let's go."

"But—."

"No," Colette said, cutting Sheena off. "We don't have time. Mithos tried to destroy us all once before. We can't let him do it again." She looked at her mother-in-law. "And we especially can't leave Lloyd to ruin the world he created."

Anna nodded once. "Right. Let's go. We'll explain more on the way."

* * *

Children. There were children in his sanctuary.

_Kill them._

He readied his sword and stepped towards them. The glint of steel and polished wood, and in one case the rustle of paper, revealed the weapons of the young ones that had found him. They had come prepared. He could see it in the way the brown haired girl, clearly the leader, stood brandishing her strange red-orange sword at him.

_Flamberge._

He knew that sword. He looked at the girl, who stared at him for a moment, shock etched into her red brown eyes. He knew those eyes. He knew that they were related to that sword.

"It can't be..." She spoke, her voice a fearful whisper. "It can't be you."

_Kill her._

He walked slowly towards her, hand flexed as it casually drifted towards his sword. The cold voice whispering in the back of his head had to be obeyed. If it didn't, terrible things would happen. People would die…they would burn. The blue eyed angel would burn.

"Suki." The boy with spiky purple hair and pale indigo eyes held up a small sheet of paper inscribed with strange symbols. "Suki stay back from him. He doesn't seem to hear you." He was not afraid. The boy stared at him, daring him to approach the girl. The urge to protect rolled off of his very essence. The boy loved this garnet eyed girl with the red sword. Suki.

_You know what I wish, Suki?_

_Kill her!_

"Calm down Jon," the Suki-girl said, her voice strengthening. "Who are you?" she asked him. "Do you…you know who I am?"

"He knows!" said a harsh voice. "He just won't admit it." The leader briefly looked back at the boy and girl on either side of her. Twins. One garbed in green. One in red. Red with a blue blade. Brown hair. Blue eyes.

The blue eyed angel.

_Take the swords. Kill them all._

He stopped walking. The voice had to be obeyed, but the eyes. They eyes of the twins. The girls' so wide and fearful, the boy's bright with anger. He knew those eyes.

_I must have the sword._

He winced as the cold, vicious voice shouted out in the deep recesses of his mind. It was so hard to fight it off these days. Every second was a battle to stay himself and after so many years, he didn't know who his true self was anymore. But he knew the voice full of malice wasn't him. It couldn't be. Could it? Why did he need the sword? They were of some significance to the voices in his head. Every voice rang out, urging him to take the blue and red blades in hands. He buried his face in his hands and fought them back, trying to find his own thoughts. But he couldn't.

_I MUST HAVE THE SWOR!_

He straightened suddenly as cold flooded his brain and trickled down his body. It was happening. He watched as though from above his own body. He dashed at the leader, the girl he knew he should remember. With a blinding rush of speed and a swift blow to the head, he had freed the reddish blade from her hand and sent her to the ground.

Mana spiked in the air and the elements shrieked down around him as some of the children called on magic to aid them. He watched himself dodge, heading for the twins. The blue eyed twins. So afraid. So angry

No. Not them. He mustn't hurt them. For a brief second he gained control and threw himself to the side, at the boy who loved the leader. The voice in his head laughed and his arm gripped Flamberge's hilt tighter. Swiftly, he disarmed the spiky haired young man and what looked to be his two brothers. The half elves followed suit, leaving only the twins.

They were important. The boy and his sister. The girl with reddish eyes. The four half elves, the ninja brothers…they were all important. He didn't want to hurt them.

He stalked forward, closing in on them. The boy shoved his sister behind him and readied his own blade. She peered around her brother, blue eyes wide as she gripped her weapon. She did not want to fight.

No.

The cold voice laughed.

NO!

His arm lifted and swung the sword down. It felt like it all happened in slow motion. As it descended, his vision went dark and the lone memory he had played across his mind's eye. Fire. Smoke. Blood. Screams. Children trapped in a burning school. Men in armor seeking the girl. The blonde girl with angel wings. They wanted her head. They wanted her dead. He wouldn't allow that. She was with child. A child important to him. A child with blue eyes and brown hair. Two children. Blue eyes. Brown hair. Twins. She was going to have twins. And they wanted her dead. He couldn't allow it. He couldn't!

"NO!" he shouted, stopping the blade a mere inch from the young boy's neck. He trembled with the effort of stopping the blade as the evil inside him pounded furiously. He wouldn't allow them to hurt this boy. To hurt any of them. He owed the blonde angel. He owed the mahogany eyed little girl he saw in his dreams, the one who lay yards away, changed by time.

_Kill the boy!_

"I won't," he said through gritted teeth. He raised one foot the weighed a thousand pounds and took a step backward. He raised the other foot and took another.

_Kill him!_

"Make me," he challenged.

_Kill him!_

"I WON'T!" he shouted and he slammed the sword down into the ground, a mere inch away from the young man dressed in red.

* * *

Vikki and Don stared at the stranger and at their semi-conscious friends around them. "Who are you?" Vikki asked. "Why didn't you kill us?"

"Who I am is not important," he said. "You two…you belong to the blue-eyed angel…"

Don and Vikki exchanged a look. Could he refer to their mother?

"They do." Suki was back on her feet and staggering towards them She stopped in front of don and grabbed her sword back from the strange man in front of her. "You leave them alone."

"I know you," he said quietly, turning his hooded head toward her. "Your eyes…your sword."

Suki swallowed hard. "You know me?"

"You were…a little girl," he said, straining as the cold voice in his head shrieked. "You cried. The city burned. People…died."

"Yes!" Suki said, excitedly. "It is you. It really is!" Happiness flooded Suki. He was here, the brother she had mourned for most of her life. He was alive and some piece of his brain that was still buried in tragedy remembered her. Something was clearly off about him—the way he changed demeanors so quickly, the way he moved and fought, the fact that he had attacked all of them—but it could be sorted out later. The important fact was that he was alive!

The man reached up and pulled down his hood, erasing Suki's happiness and replacing it with fear.

The man's face was pale and smudged with dirt. His hair was a dirty shoulder length tangle, the color of dirt and dust, shot through with white. For all he was agile and well-muscled, his face still looked drawn and gaunt. However the truly terrifying thing about him was his eyes. They weren't the garnet shade Lloyd shared with his father and sister. They were a deep crimson, almost like blood, as though the brown had leeched out of them.

"Your face…" Suki said in horror. "It can't be. Is that really…?"

Oh it's him," Don snapped. "I know it is. So this is where you have been hiding?" Don shoved Suki out of the way. "You've been sulking here like a coward while we have been through hell!" Don was in the man's face now and Suki could feel the anger pouring off of him. Squinting at the man, he looked more afraid than hostile and Don looked more hostile than afraid.

"No…" Akira muttered, her hands grasping feebly for her dropped sword. "Suki…the mana. Look at him. The mana."

Suki rushed to her friend and helped her sit up. The others stirred, but Akira looked determine to fight her way back to consciousness. Vikki tugged on Don's arm but he pulled away, still snarling at their attacker.

"I know you," Don said. "You're the man who left. The man who kill people. Including someone you once called friend. The one who saddled me with this." Don held up his hand, showing the Cruxis Crystal glinting under his skin.

The man shrank back. "You are yet another victim?"

"I am no victim," Don said.

"Don!" Suki shouted.

"Suki, get Don away from him," Akira said, gripping her sword. "The mana…it twines around that man like a cat. As it drifts away from him it carries that wrongness we feel. And right now Don is absorbing it like a sponge."

"We are looking for our father…and we think we found him." Don growled. "We finally found your hide-out, Lloyd."

"NO!" Akira shouted, surging to her feet with Suki as their foe lunged for Don, his mana signature all but consumed with darkness when it had not been a moment ago. Faster than anyone would have believed possible, they were across the clearing and in between Don and the would-be Lloyd. Akira seized one arm and Suki seized the other without breaking stride. Their opponent felt his feet lift off the ground and he was slammed into the base of the world tree staring into very cold eyes of red-brown and emerald.

_Yuan…_

"You know me," Akira said, positioning her sword under "Lloyd's" chin. "You recognize this sword, just like you recognize hers." She jerked her head to the side indicating Suki. "Isn't that right?"

The man nodded.

"Do you know who my father is?" Akira asked, letting the memories of her father run through her mind so that she could draw on his tough as nails, calculating persona.

"I can guess," he whispered.

"And you know mine," Suki said adopting her Kratos-like voice. She didn't care who this man was…he would not harm her nephew.

"Obviously."

"Then you know we would have no problem dealing with you." Akira pressed her sword harder, drawing a droplet of blood from his neck.

The man said nothing, just starred at them.

"See that you remember," Akira said, stepping back a bit. "You got the drop on us twice. You won't get it a third time."

The others, who had revived completely and were crowded in close, stared at Akira and Suki in both horror and amazement. They could have sworn they were looking and Kratos and Yuan. It was spooky.

"Now what do we do?" Akira asked Suki. "The mana is being twisted through him. He obviously has no idea who he really is. He wouldn't even show his face at first."

"Hidden underneath the mask…" he muttered.

"And he keeps muttering crazy things," Xander added.

"We need him," Suki said, not lowering her sword. "We need him alive. He's the only one who can help us."

"But will he?" Bryant asked. "It's quite obvious that he doesn't know what is going on. Not fully."

"It's even more obvious that he is being possessed," Alicia said, squinting at the man, trying to decipher his mana signature. It was harder for Bryant and Alicia to see the things their cousins Akira and Hoshi did since their half-elven blood was diluted further by their mother's human blood. Although their parents were both half elves, Akira and Hoshi had enough elven blood to be able to see with relative ease. "There are two forces accompanying him. One is very clear. The other looks very faint, if it is there at all."

"There's a third," Hoshi said quietly. "Almost imperceptible. I only saw it for a moment…"

"Ok…"Suki said firmly. Mind racing. "Ok." She took a deep breath and slowly lowered her sword. Akira kept hers where it was and hissed at Suki "What are you doing?!"

"Look," Suki said to the stranger. "We need your help. We need to know. Are you really Llo—."

"Don't say the name!" the man shouted. Suki stared as he shrank back against the tree. "Don't say the name…it comes back."

"What comes back?" Suki asked.

"The voice…the evil, cold voice comes back…" he shuddered. "He'll attack you. He attacks everyone. You'll die and I can't…"

"You can't help it?" Suki supplied, her voice gentle.

He shook his head violently.

"All right then," she said, her voice calm and reasonable as he continued to look afraid. "What shall we call you then?"

The man looked at her questioningly.

"You need a name," Suki insisted. "We can't just call you 'man.'"

He looked at her for long moment and then tilted his head to one side. "Sei. You can call me Sei."

* * *

"There!" Anna shouted pointing in the distance as the World Tree loomed into view.

"Any sign of them?" Zelos asked, squinting through the trees.

"We're not in range yet," Kratos said. He looked at Anna. "I'm going ahead."

"Me too," Anna said.

"And me," Yuan added. "Zelos, Colette, you stay with the others.

Zelos opened his mouth to argue.

"We need two angels left in case the three of us are incapacitated," Yuan pointed out.

Zelos though for a second and closed his mouth again.

"Don't hurt him," Colette said quietly. "Please try not to hurt him."

"We'll do our best," Yuan said.

"Yuan, be careful," Raine said. "And hurry."

"We're right behind you," Sheena added, clutching her Reihard tightly and trying to look brave.

Yuan nodded once and jumped off his Reihard. As he plummeted toward the ground, his wings stretched out into the air and disappeared into the tree line.

Anna met Kratos's eye and a feeling of pure dread passed between the couple. Kratos followed Yuan's descent and after muttering a quick prayer to any listening deities, Anna plunged after them.

* * *

"Sei," Suki said. The name was familiar. Why was it familiar? "Why Sei?" she asked.

"It's the only voice that is not in my head," Sei replied.

"This guy is a wack job…" Senshi muttered.

"All right," Suki said, glaring at the young red-head. "Sei it is. We need your help."

"I can't—!" he started to say.

"The blue-eyed angle needs your help." Suki said over his objections. "These are her children." She pointed at Don and Vikki. "I am her niece. We are looking for her husband…their father…and my brother."

"You will not find him," Sei said. "He's gone. Long gone."

Suki's heart beat uncomfortably in her throat. This man…he could be Lloyd…he could be someone else. All she knew was she had to get him away from the tree and she had to find a way to stop their Cruxis Crystals from killing them. He may be able to help if she could coax out some memories. But where to start?

"Sei…" That was Vikki. She approached Sei, looking afraid but determined. Her eyes were kind and she reminded them all strongly of Colette. "Sei please." She crouched next to him and raised her hand, slipping off her glove and showing him the place where the Cruxis Crystal glowed, steadily and more brightly and fully emerged. Suki started. When did that happen? "Do you know what this is?"

"Cruxis Crystal," Sei said. "With no crest. Are you a Chosen?"

"My mom is," Vikki said with a small smile. "The angel, remember? I…inherited this. We all did," she said, gesturing out at her friends. "Except they are hurting us. We don't have the things we need to stop it. Can you help? Do you know what to do?"

Sei said nothing for a very long time, his eyes jumping from face to face. Suki glanced at her bandaged hand and said nothing. Vikki was gentle and kind. She would do better that Suki with her logic and don with his anger. She prayed they weren't wrong. She prayed that this man had an idea…because if he didn't, they may be in trouble.

"Mana Leaf Herb," he said finally. "Zircon. Mana fragment. Unicorn horn. Inhibitor ore."

"We have everything but the mana fragment," Vikki said. "Or rather we can get it…we need the fragment. Where do we find it?"

"The holy city…" Sei said.

"Can you take us there?"

He twitched. "Not without the sword…the sword…I must…" he twitched again more violently and then he rose in one fluid motion like a puppet being yanked up by his strings. Vikki rose too and backed away a few steps.

"Do you mean the Eternal Sword?"Don asked with a sneer. "Great. How can he possibly wield the Eternal Sword? He can't even remember what it is!"

"Don, shut up!" Vikki hissed, eyeing Sei nervously.

Sei stared at Don. "The Eternal Sword…?" He stared at Flamberge and then back at Don. "Yes…eternal. Sword. Ring." He shuddered. "I…I…"

Don looked at Vorpal for a moment, then sheathed it, sneering at Sei.

Sei's eyes flashed and seem to glow with rage. "I. Need. That. SWORD!"

Sei charged yet again and true to Akira's word they were ready this time. Only it wasn't Akira that stopped him. A searing pain, a spurt of rage, and Suki was off again, the second time in two days. Her hand shot out and grabbed Sei by the throat, squeezing hard as rage welled up inside her. She shook him. "You will not harm him!" she shouted. She dug her nails into his neck, dimly aware of what must be happening, but she ignored it. Shouts echoed around her and she ignored those too. Sei strained against her hold but he couldn't break free, no matter how hard he tried.

That is until a black blur shot across the clearing and ripped him from her grasp.

"Grab her!" shouted a new voice.

Hands grabbed Suki, yanking down her arms and pinning them. A pair of arms circled around her keeping her confined. She thrashed, actually lifting her feet up off the ground, trying to escape while she screamed with frustration.

"Anna, I can't hold her!" That was Jon.

"You have to!" Mom. Her mother was here? What did that matter? Sei was going to hurt the people she had vowed to protect!

Suddenly Akira stepped into her frame of view. "Suki, we don't have time for this!"

SLAP!

Suki's eyes watered from the sting of the slap she did not feel and all at once, her anger dissipated. She sagged against the people holding her as she waited for the pain in her hand to signal what she knew had happened, but it never came. She looked down. The crystal had flared and disintegrated her bandage. It was now fully exposed…and she couldn't feel the pain. Glancing up, she looked at the trees as they swayed in the breeze. She closed her eyes, praying to feel the soft kiss of the wind on her face…and felt nothing.

"Suki, what's wrong?" Jon asked, still holding on to her. She stared at the spot where his hands gripped her, willing herself to feel what she had felt before when he held her.

"I can't…" she whispered. "I can't..."

A strangled yell brought her to her senses and she looked toward the base of the World Tree and received yet another shock. Her mother was actually here and she had Sei by the throat. Unlike Jon when he had intervened for Suki before, Anna was not beating him or threatening him with physical violence. She didn't have to. Her eyes said enough. Suki searched her mother's face for some trace of recognition from Sei, but she saw nothing but fury.

Two blurs, one purple, one blue, dropped from the sky next to Anna and straightened. Swords out, Kratos and Yuan pointed them at Sei, their eyes cold and merciless, more so than any of the children had ever seen them.

"Having a bit of fun are we, Yggdrasill?" Anna asked, her voice so calm that it made the others shudder.

Sei coughed his face turning red. "No. Speak not the name. Speak not the name."

"Why?" Anna shook him. "Afraid to be called out for the monster that you are?"

"Anna let go," Kratos warned. "Do not forget whose body he wears."

"He was going to kill my grandson," Anna replied, still calm. "He already stole my son."

"So it's true…" Don breathed. "It really is him."

Yuan turned and faced the children. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at all of them before his eyes rested on Akira and Hoshi.

"What?" Akira asked.

"Weapons out and at the ready," he barked. "Surround him!"

The children scrambled to do as he bid as Anna drew Sei away from the tree. The others formed a tight circle around the pair.

"Wait," Suki said. "You have it wrong. It's not his fault!"

"Possessed or not he is still a monumental danger," Kratos said.

"I know but listen!" Suki grabbed her father's wrist and pushed his sword down. "One moment. Please just listen to me, for once."

Kratos lowered his bald slightly. "Explain."

Suki blinked at him for a moment. Had things changed so much that her parents were actually taking them seriously for once? Kratos raised an eyebrow and Suki hastened to explain.

"Look, the reports have been consistent. Everyone who enter this clearing has been immediately struck down, correct?"

"That much has been confirmed," Yuan agreed.

"Well we weren't. We entered the clearing and attempted to talk to him." Suki explained what had happened. She knew Sei was dangerous, but she also knew that he wasn't beyond saving.

When she reached the part about Sei resisting whatever was compelling him to kill Don and Vikki, Sei himself spoke up.

"The twins," he said, his voice hoarse. "They belong to the blue-eyed angel. They must not be harmed."

Anna let go.

"So you know the blue eyed-angel?" Anna asked.

Sei nodded. "She mustn't be hurt."

"And the children?"

"They mustn't be hurt," he repeated.

"Every time we mention his name he snaps," Suki said. "This last time he snapped when we mentioned the Eternal Sword." Sei's face darkened and he lunged forward halfway before stopping himself short. Anna grabbed him again, but he had stepped back again. "See? There's some trigger words that turn him hostile."

"And he thinks his name is Sei?" Kratos asked. "How…unpleasant."

"I don't think 'unpleasant' is the word that should immediately come to mind…" Suki pointed out, confused.

Anna actually smiled for a fraction of a second. "Sei was my boyfriend back when I was Adalais Orion."

"Dude…" Xander said. "Kratos is jealous? Who knew that could happen?"

"Well he is a male," Alicia said logically.

"So what do we do with you?" Anna said, staring at the ruin that had at one point been her son.

"We need the Eternal…thingy," Suki said, looking warily at Sei. "And we need to restore him if we can."

"Maybe we can take him with us," Yuan said.

"No," Sei said.

"No?" Anna asked.

"No control," Sei whispered. "I will kill you. You must go before it comes back."

"Before what comes back?" Suki asked gently.

"The mean cold man who lives in my head." He looked at Kratos and Yuan. "He doesn't like you," he said quietly. Sei looked at Yuan and gave him a slight sneer. "I don't like you either."

"We need your help," Anna said, her voice kind, but still slightly cold. "The children are in danger. We need you to…" she sighed heavily. "We need you to remember who you are." She shook her head and muttered something. Suki thought she caught the word "Mufasa," but it made no sense to her.

"He'll come back," Sei said, shaking his head hard.

"The blue eyed angel needs your help," Anna said.

"We need you," Vikki said. "You're our only hope."

Sei looked at Vikki and at Don. Ignoring Vikki's request he focused on her twin. "You…you are angry."

Don glared. "So?"

"Why are you angry?" Sei asked.

"Because you kill people!" Dion cried.

Sei shook his head. "No. Why are you angry?"

"I just told you," Don said, confused.

"At me," Sei said. "Why are you angry at me?"

Don stared at the man, the man who was likely his father somewhere in the fractured recesses of his mind. He stared for a long moment until Vikki gently said his name. Then he looked down.

"I am angry that you left and never came back."

Sei nodded sagely and looked at Anna. "I will help." He stood up straight. "I will help the children. What should I do?"

"Anna," Kratos said. "The others are coming."

The children looked up at the sound of Reihards buzzing overhead. Figures fell from the sky, landing in clouds of dust as Sheena, Raine, Genis, Presea, and Zelos landed in the clearing, weapons out and looking wary.

Sei stiffened. "No…"

"It can't be…" Genis said, staring at the ruin of the man. He looked at Anna and Kratos. "It's not."

Anna nodded.

"Oh no…" Sheena muttered. "Oh no…Zelos!" she looked frantically at her husband. "Go stop Colette! If she sees him like this-!"

"You're too late…" Sei said, his voice a voice low and dangerous. "She's here…"

Every turned and saw Colette standing at the edge of the wood. He chakrams were gripped tightly in her hands, but hung at her side. Her blue eyes were wide as she too stared at Sei. Her face shone with a multitude of emotions: fear, anguish, hope, trepidation…a million things reflected as she searched for a hint of her husband in the man before her.

"It's you…" she said quietly. "It's really you."

Sei shook his head.

Colette swallowed hard. "It is you. No matter what you have become…no matter what happens to you, it's still you. You're still you."

Sei shook his head again harder.

"You said that to me…remember?" Colette walked towards him.

"Stay back!" Sei said. He was twitching again. The others recognized the signs.

"Mom, get back!" Vikki ran to her mother and pushed her back a few steps. "Mom he's not himself…he can't control the shadow of Mithos that he carries with him.

"Get her away from me!" Sei shouted. "Get her away!"

"What's happening?" Genis asked.

"His mana signature is warped," Raine said. "Just like Anna's was when she was stuck between Anna and Ada. He's got Mithos with him and it looks like Mithos is fighting to come out."

"I'm not leaving!" Colette shouted. "Not now. I won't let you go again!"

"GET AWAY!" Sei fell to his knees clutching his head and the parents all shouted out in alarm.

It had happened so many times in the past few minutes that Suki and the others were unafraid and unsurprised when Akira shouted, "Hold him down! Here we go again!"

Suki, Jon, Xander, and Vikki were closest. They flew forward with the same inhuman speed that Akira had shown earlier and grabbed Sei. Sei began to laugh—a cold, merciless, insane laugh that the heroes of regeneration knew all too well.

"Did you think you could protect her?" he shouted, laughing. "Did you think you could outrun me? Did you think you could fight me off?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Zelos said frantically. "What's going on?"

"He's cracked again!" Suki shouted.

"And he's quoting Twilight…"Anna muttered, unaware of what she was really saying, preoccupied by the insanity before her.

"No!" Colette cried. "No, Lloyd, please. Stay with me. Don't give in!"

"You won't get away!" Sei shouted as Alicia, Hoshi, and Don ran to help drag Sei away. "I'll find you. I'll find you wherever you go!"

"We can't hold him!" Suki shouted.

"MOVE!"

A chakram zipped through the air and smashed into Sei's head. Above them the sky boomed with thunder and two lightning bolts struck Sei and the children dead on. Suki felt her hand wrench away from Sei's arms as she flew backward and slammed hard into the ground. She stared up at the blue sky and noted the absence of pain with growing anxiety. She had been threatened, almost killed, beaten up, attacked, lunged at, struck in the head, slapped in the face, and thrown into the air so many times in the past four days that she should be shattered into a million pieces.

The distant shout of her friends and families sounded muffled to her as she stared up the sky contemplating three very important things:

One: Their efforts had not been in vain. They had found her brother. They had found Lloyd. But they hadn't...

Two: Lloyd was being possessed by Mithos and had bound Ratatosk's core to himself, causing the life giving mana from the World Tree to turn against the people who needed it most.

Three: Her Cruxis Crystal had fully formed and was now active.

Suki sighed. "That's the textbook definition of a very bad day."

* * *

BR

* * *

Broken Reflection...now with plot development! Review and show the plot development some love!


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